Wizards Aeterna
by emeralddusk
Summary: "You'd be amazed at the monsters this world can create." The battle between good and evil wages on inside of us all.
1. Inner Demons

_New Life: Chapter One_

Wizards: Aeterna

Alex VS Alex:

The Battle for Everything

Chapter One: Inner Demons

_I remember lying in the snow. The wind was icy and cruel as millions of blade-like snowflakes rained down from an uncertain and clouded sky. It was the heart of winter, and I was all alone. My parents told me one day that I was born like this: in the cold and uncertainty of winter. I wasn't alone then. I am now. My eyes are weak and heavy, but I try to keep them open: they're red, slowly glazing over with frost from the mist, bloodshot, burning, and laced with silent tears. I'm paralyzed and numb. I never really thought I'd be all alone. I always felt that way, but I was wrong: this is isolation. This is what it means to be alone. No one's coming for me. No one's on their way to save me. No one hears me breathing. No one feels me freezing. My arms and legs are spread to the four corners as I try so hard to raise myself up. I cannot move, but I keep falling. I'm…afraid. I've spent so long trying…lying to people: telling them all that I was okay: that I was unafraid and ready. Now, I'm all alone, and I'm helpless…and I'm scared. All strength has left me. All my will is broken. Finally gathering enough forbidden strength, I reach my right hand out, my breaths turning to tearful gasps, and attempt to reach the small blur that was once the sun. My arm is trembling: I can't keep this up, but I try to hold onto the sun: to the light. Now, I can't move or breathe, but I don't fall asleep: I don't blackout. I don't die. My hair is wet, frozen, and jagged like blades of ice, and each lock covers my eyes and blinds me. That doesn't matter, though: I can't see the sun, and the left side of my face is sinking into the snow as I look to the side to watch the mist blow off the lifeless trees. I choke in one last breath, and I close my eyes._

Running towards the indeterminate dark patch in the snow, Theresa desperately trudged through the thick snow, letting the flakes scratch at her face, struggling to reach her daughter. "Alex!" she cried out, her voice cracking with pain and fear. She couldn't be too late. "Alex! Alex, I'm coming! You're gonna be okay: I'm coming!"

Sitting at the table in the sanctity of The Lair, Alex Russo looked over her notes. Most of them were spells and potions, but the side notes and sketches meant the most to her: some of them were from notebooks from kindergarten, some from the previous year, and others were made at the moment. _I'm a Wizard! I'm a wizard with my brothers! My name is Alex. I Believe in Magic. The world is beautiful. Our losses are great. Not sure I can keep going. We're Strong when We're Together! Magic is beautiful. _Most of the drawings consisted of undeveloped pencil strokes and some spots of blue or red pen. Alex, her hair covering her eyes and most of her face, was standing in a long, flowing gown that gradually turned into visible currents of wind and small rose petals: it meant magic to a ten-year-old girl who just found out her wonderful gift. Other sketches depicted small, graceful dragons, unicorns, two stick figure girls holding each other's hand, an elaborate drawing of Alex as an adult, her eyes fully drawn and developed and her dress flowing into fire as she held her sphinx-haired wand topped with a sapphire gem, and Isis, Alex's ice lynx and familiar.

Alex's diary was the only outlet for her deepest, darkest, and truest thoughts, though. Locked on the outside, sealed by an invisible enchantment, and hidden in a safe and secure space, the dark blue, leather-bound book was seen by its owner and composer alone. That night, when the Russo sandwich station and apartment were silent, still, and shrouded in darkness, the Latina gently pulled off her sheets, rolled onto the floor, crawled half-way under her bed, guarded by the dangling blankets, and motioned her hands and fingers delicately, forming a dim aura between her palms that soon formed her precious book. Carefully taking the journal into her hands, Alex slowly pressed her diary to her heart for a moment and then tucked herself securely under her sheets. Her face covered, the young woman undid the seal, opened the lock with a key-shaped fragment of her sapphire mana, and began turning through the pages. Her eyes releasing a pink energy signature, Alex saw the enchanted writing and images come to life and reenact events of the past within the pages: _Alex and Harper met one another in kindergarten, and then the two held hands with Gigi before a form of shadow drew the blond girl away with two girls similar to her in appearance_. Scanning over the images, the young woman turned the page to her herself sitting all alone until Harper sat down beside her. Everything was still. _My whole life, I've felt alone. Harper was the only friend I had for years. We love each other like sisters, and that won't ever go away._ Her misty eyes frequently blinking, Alex gently touched the outline of a butterfly Harper drew for her on the first day of high school. _Flapping its wings, the butterfly glided around the page before returning to its original spot and spreading its wings out._ Wiping a tear from her eye, the Latina choked in a breath before turning the page: _Alex and Mason held each other's hand, walking down a road composed of near-golden yellow bricks. Grass had grown between the cracks, and the trees overhead helped blocked the sun on a beautiful, flawlessly-rendered day. They both smiled at their partner, even as Alex's wand appeared in her and hand and Mason transformed into a werewolf. The next page revealed a massive full moon shining behind what resembled a massive medieval castle. Alex and Mason, both human and flowing like mist as the breeze touched them atop the highest tower, held each other closely and kissed. Their eyes closed, the boy and the girl felt something trying to pull them apart. On the next page, the unseen force prevailed, and Mason, struggling and desperately reaching his hand out for Alex, was slowly overpowered and consumed by a wolf that was a part of him. Swallowed whole, as was Odin by the maw of Fenris, the young English man declared his love one last time, as written in cursive at the center top of the page. The next page revealed a portrait of Justin, Alex's older brother of three years. Slowly shifting, the image turned into a Gothic and cloudy scene in which the young man held the hands of a pale girl with lightly-thin, flowing blond hair that touched upon her breasts, weakly shining red eyes and retracted fangs: her name is Juliet von Houston, Justin's second love and current lover. Her face expressed her kindness, love, and a misleading sense of happiness. Justin felt the natural chill of his girlfriend's skin as she took in the warmth of his. They were happy, despite all the pain they had gone through. _After staring at the portrait for about ten minutes, Alex saw a subtle stream of blood slowly streaming down the page, forcing her to turn to the next picture. _Composed entirely of dark lead strokes and blank ink, a foggy abstract of Mason Greyback and Juliet von Houston holding each other's hands, as the vampiress did to Justin years later formed. This time, Juliet was on the right side, her eyes at ease in their hazel form. The two were happy, but that ended decades ago. The question of Mason's heart still remained a mystery, though: had he stayed in love with someone he found peace with in a simpler time, or did he give everything to Alex? Was their love enough to bring him solace, and did it mean to him what it did to Alex? There could never be an answer: not in flesh or ink._

"I just wish…I could take everything back," Alex whispered, closing her diary and sealing it shut. "Just start over and erase it all…so I'd never have to go through all this." Taking her cell phone from atop her night stand, the Latina dialed Harper's number. "Hey, sis…I just wanted to tell you I love you and goodnight." _You're all I have left, Harper. Everyone we cared about left us…You're the only person outside of my family that I care about now._

"Love you, too Lexi," the redheaded young woman replied, her higher-pitched voice so warm and sweet. "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks," Alex replied, her voice reduced to a trembling whisper. A single, hot, burning tear streamed down the girl's right eye. "Love you."

"Love you too, angel," Harper gently repeated, her understanding and compassion as miraculous as ever. "Night."

"Night," the Latina barely gasped out. Hanging up her phone, Alex pressed her left pointer and middle finger into the center of her nostrils, trying to stop the blood she could feel coming, and bit her lip as her tears blinded her.

Suddenly, a knock on the young woman's door sounded, causing her heart to leap and nearly forcing out a gasp. "Mi-hija?" Theresa Russo gently called in to her daughter, not wanting to disturb anyone. "Everything okay? I heard some noise." Quickly wiping away her tears and snuffing back the blood from her nose, Alex stroked her hand over her eyes, wiping away as many tears as possible.

"Yeah," the young woman lied, using all her might to stop her voice from cracking. "Just looking for something. Thanks, Mom."

"Okay," the brunette woman answered, silently leaning her head against the door, listening to her daughter and praying for her to find peace. There was no sound: Alex wasn't sleeping, and likely hadn't been for some time. Sniffling, Theresa folded her lips inward before releasing them, forming a futile smile, muttered a Spanish prayer her mother had taught her, and then departed.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Alex stared into the shadows in her room. She was stilled, her vision still blurry and burning, and it was so late. Taking a photo of Mason out of her pocket, remembering how it was once a picture of her and her boyfriend, the young woman stared at the smiling young man she once called her friend and lover. The left side of the picture bore the scar from when Alex's image was torn away: she was the one who did it. It seemed right. Crumpling up the old picture again, Alexandria Russo, once the caring, spunky, loveable rebel of the Russo family, held the image tightly in her hands, cupped them together over her chest, lied down on her back, and closed her eyes.

_"Come on!" Alex cried out, maintaining her grip on her boyfriend's hand as the two ran towards the heart of the city. Mason smiled back at his girlfriend, trying to keep up with her. "You're too slow, come on!" Mason burst out laughing as they pushed open the doors to the Empire State Building's bottom floor._

_ Watching the floor numbers move up on the small screen, the young lovers watched everyone else exit on lower floors. Finally, they were all alone. "Ready?" Alex asked, biting her lip._

_ "I'm ready if you're ready," Mason lovingly challenged. Waving her hands over the floor buttons, Alex muttered a spell in Latin, trying to speak in between laughs. Suddenly, the elevator increased in speed with a slight jolt. Taking each other's hand, the young man and woman watched the numbers flash by until they reached a hidden floor, leading them onto the very tip of the skyscraper._

_ Alex and Mason walked out, the incredible sight of New York City's skyline surrounding them. Taking a seat on the ledge, the teenagers let their feet dangle over the great fall before them. "I thought there were guard rails up here," the Lycanthrope boy said, his English accent showing._

_ "There used to be," Alex boldly answered. "But why should there be? Why hold all this back?" Nodding in agreement, the brunette young man stared into the horizon."I bet this would look awesome at sunset."_

_ "It'd be beautiful," Mason replied. "Like a painting born in a dream."_

_ Pulling out her wand, the Latina cast a spell, forming a horizontal image of a beach completely bathed in orange and red lights from the sunset. The waves were gentle, and a silent breeze cascaded across the single palm tree's leaves._

_ "Whoa," Mason exclaimed. "Aren't people going to see this?"_

_ "How could they?" Alex answered. "We're at the very top, and there's only one opening. All they're gonna see is the sky. Ready?"_

_ "Ready for what?" the young man chuckled, his heart pounding._

_ "To follow me," the dark-haired young woman answered, lifting herself onto her feet. Turning around, her back facing the flawless image, Alex smiled at her lover, and dropped backwards, falling several inches before entering the beach scene. His jaw dropped, Mason felt a smile overpower his face. Laughing, the brunette leaped forward into the portal as it closed behind him._

_ Splashing down into an immense body of cool, clear, welcoming water, the two young lovers swam up to the surface. Gently stroking her hair back with both hands, Alex laughed out loud, her eyes closed and drenched. Shaking off the beads of water from his hair, Mason stroked his hand over his eyes and gazed up at the beautiful skies. "My god," he exclaimed, his voice practically a whisper. _

_ Alex lovingly splashed her boyfriend, catching him off-guard. The two burst into loud, unafraid laughter, and then began splashing each other like children: young, innocent, brave, and free. Mason quickly dunked Alex under the water, only to have her surface and tackle him, sending the two under the waves. Their laughter filling the air and sea, the lovers finally swam to the small beach island that separated the dark from the flawless sunset, their breath heavy and their laughter unending. "I love you, Mason," Alex declared, lying down on the sand._

_ "I love you, too, Alex," the young man replied, his heart warming over. "And I always will."_

_ The two smiled at one another, their eyes gazing into their lover's. Their hearts were in sync, and all was quiet but the gentle crashing of the waves into the unmoving shore. Slowly, leaning in to the choirs of angels singing all around them, Alex and Mason kissed each other, feeling the other's love and passion like the warm blessing of a new sun. Their eyes closed, and all was like a dream. All was silent: All was still. Love was all there was._

Opening her eyes, Alex found herself all alone atop her unmade sheets and blankets. The silence was piercing and violent, and all was dark. Opening her hands, the young woman unfolded the picture, staring at the image of the boy she loved. "…You abandoned me," she declared, her broken, trembling voice reduced to a sorrowful whisper. "How could you leave me? I loved you…and you said you loved me…" Her fingers slow, almost limp, the Latina felt the choirs of peace and love flow out of her body as she tore the picture down its center, her left hand never moving, and holding the surviving image in place. Soon, the very memory of Mason was out of sight. Clenching the scraps in both hands, Alex tightly shut her eyes, as if to close out the darkness, letting hot, burning tears stream from her eye lids down t her cheeks, the young woman violently threw the pieces of paper to the wind before her, letting out a silent cry of rage and agony. As the fragments of love and peace lost fell to the ground like snow, Alex, feeling the loss every waking second, screamed out: "You abandoned me! I loved you, and you abandoned me! You left me here all alone…to deal with this by myself! How the fuck could you abandon me?" Her cries growing violent, the image of Mason's hand, slowly becoming a claw, falling lifeless to the ground that dark and horrid night returned to the young woman. The last glance he ever gave her was unclear: who did he give his heart to? Was it ever hers to begin with? All was silent. Her face blood-red, puffy, and clenched, Alex choked in breath after breath, trying so hard just to be still atop her bed.

_I swore I'd no longer be…_

_The pall-bearer._

_But I carried you to bed, so you could rest your head._

_You were taking off a load: Heavy drinking._

"You abandoned me to take all this by myself," Alex whispered. "Now I'm all alone."

_And the unmade bed you slept in…_

_Where I laid you down to rest one last time:_

_Goodbye…_

Listening through the door, Theresa let a tear stream down her cheek, her eyes tightly closed. Times grew worse. Things changed. People changed. Comfort became harder and harder to find until the day it was gone, leaving her naked and alone on the floor. Nothing felt right. Nothing was the same. Justin and Max did all they could to help, but it did no good.

Clenching her forehead, Alex let in one last, long, quaking breath, and let herself slip back into her hated memories. _"Alex!" Jerry demanded, throwing open the door and causing it to crack upon impact to the wall. Everything was dark but the bed. Unable to get up, Riley laid still, only his knees covered by the black blankets. Clenching the sheets, desperately trying to hide her exposed, sweat-laced breasts and lap, gasping frantically in a vain attempt to fight off tears, Alex felt her heart pound and race beyond the point of agony._ Never forgiven. Never forgotten. A mistake made to take away the pain of a loved one lost.

Awakening from her nightmare, Alex whispered a spell, causing pink energy to shine from her eyes as her hands cascaded in front of her. Slowly, the shreds of the picture of Mason pieced themselves together in the air. Once completed, the portrait glided into Alex's hands, ending the spell. _I can still hold onto this for the night, _she told herself, placing the photograph under her pillow and laying down, her eyes closed. _But I can't hide from what I did…can't hide from the sins._ Gently pressing the tips of her fingers to her heart, the young woman felt the pain and darkness inside of her. _There's a way…_


	2. Born into Darkness

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Two: Born Into Darkness

It is said that Eden was paradise. All that resided within the garden were blessed and free of suffering. Adam was born of the forces of nature by the will of The Creator. Residing among the plants and beasts of Eden, man was content for many days, until he found that he was the only one of his kind, and, therefore, alone. Many have heard the name, Eve. Born of Adam's rib to exist at his side as an equal, Eve was the mother of all who live. However, through the eyes of the serpent, another laid beside Adam during his years in Eden. Her name was Lilith, and her heart was rampant. She and Adam shared the garden, basking in its eternal glow, until Lilith discovered her taste for the night. Darkness soon became her as her heart grew cold and her wrath made great. Into fire and her own icy hatred, the woman made her way beside Archangel Samael. The two lived in isolation and sin for untold centuries, birthing a new generation of evil. Adam and Eve, who lost paradise by their own mistake, became the mother and father of all who live. Lilith and Samael, though the archangel claimed to have repented, became the queen and king of the demons. Existing among the astral plain of existence, slowly caressing the realm of dreams, generations of corrupt and rampant succubi and incubi feed off the sexuality of those lost within their own dreams.

The bloodline of the wicked angels has remained a mystery by the hand of their entrusted followers, known only by those existing in harmony with the magical realm as the Gorog. Over the years, most of the descendants were slaughtered for their evil deeds and nature. However, several survived. _Wrapped into a tight fetal position, an embryo swaddled in an orb of flowing dark energy levitated in dark matter. The creature itself, bathed in shadow, grew slowly, bloody veins gradually becoming more and more prominent over its body. Held in the icy love of its ancestor, the beast's eyes finally parted, revealing two large, blood-red orbs with sharp, piercing black pupils in their center. It's first breath was sin. At last, in the heart of the darkest of nights, the child of darkness was born: shedding the black, blood-thick slime that covered its infantile body, the beast reached forward with all its might, attempting to crawl towards something unseen. Its fingers spreading and straining, the evil thing felt jagged, animalistic claws slowly became exposed, peeling away at the soft, tender flesh around them. Gasping and choking on the heavy air, the creature continued forward, only to be grabbed, lifted into the air, and swaddled by the chilling hands of a woman. She was tall, healthy in her form, sensuous and passionate in temper, crowned with long, flowing, unkempt, and grizzly hair like unto darkened gold, and her body fully exposed with the exception of a dark and sadistic snake draped only over her loins and right leg. Nuzzling the child to her exposed breasts and allowing it to feel her devastatingly frozen heart, the proud and wretched woman whispered softly to the babe, her sin-kissed lips gentle upon its face. "The last of our bloodline," her breath declared through a blood-red smile. "You will rule over them…show them our way…love never, trust none that live, give freely of yourself and take from those who surround you. My wonderful, blessed boy…you will walk amongst them until our hour arises. Then, our race will be born anew, and all shall fall to their knees and worship you, my child. They will call you many names, all of them forming a mask that will allow you to touch them all. But never forget the name we have bestowed upon you…" Gently pulling the child's head to her mouth, the woman kissed him as she whispered, "Gancanagh." Silently, the infant writhed in its caregiver's arms, fixing its unholy red eyes upon her. "Go now," the woman whispered, setting the child down before departing from the horrid place. All alone once again, the alp began crawling towards its distant reward._

"Alex," Justin patiently called through the door. "Alex?"

"What?" the young woman groaned, sitting atop her bed and staring out the window. Waverly Place was always the most beautiful place to live: if not for its peace and neighbors, then for its view of the skyline in the heart of the city. The sky was warmly colored with light auburn, fading red, and yellow streams, though the world below was chilled. Unwelcoming tides breathed into the city, creating an icy breeze.

"Are you okay?" the half-Italian young man replied. "You've been locked up in your room since last night. I don't know what's going on, but I can recognize pain when I see it."

"…How could you?" Alex whispered, letting her hair block out her moist, bloodshot eyes. _You've always had the perfect life…people who love you, respect, freedom from all the shit and mistakes I have to live with…Free from all the vices that kill me._ "Justin…just do something for me, please."

"Yeah," Justin answered, his tone lightened. "Sure. What's up?"

"Just…go see Juliet today," the young woman answered, gazing at the photograph of the only man she ever loved. "Tell her I said hi, and tell her you love her…just do that for me."

Leaning his head against the doorway, the dark-haired man let silence fill the area for a moment. Alex and Juliet had been friends for years: this wasn't about formalities. She wanted Juliet and her brother to remain close: to keep what her and Mason lost. Alex loved Justin and Juliet, and never wanted to lose another friend ever again. "Yeah," the young man agreed. "Yeah, I'll do that…Alex, if you need to talk…"

"I'm fine, Justin," the young woman shot back, not turning her head. "Please, just…just leave me alone." Knowing there was nothing more he could do, Justin bit his lip, nodded to himself, turned, and walked away.

_I can't keep pushing them away, _Alex told herself, desperately trying to meditate. _Especially not Max…He's my little brother: just trying to help me. _Taking in a long, trembling, cleansing breath of air through her nostrils, the young woman closed her eyes. Her legs crossed atop one another, her physical body relaxed, her arms at her sides, and her fingers positioned carefully and touching at the tips, Alex released one final breath through her mouth, and closed herself. Her aura slowly growing, encompassing the wizard in her warm, flowing mana, Alex felt her energy stream from the divide of her eye lids. Safe inside her magic, the young woman allowed her conscious mind to reach her soul-self, releasing her spiritual being into her own plane of existence. Her physical body stilled, safe, and devoid of any form of consciousness or awareness, the young wizard, now an astral being, composed of only her soul, mana, mind, and spiritual heart, allowed her blue, mist-like body to rise higher within her own haven. Free from all constraints, Alex gazed around at the flowing wonder of a world unseen. Slowly moving her hands onto her chest, the young woman felt her heart. It was still solid and beating against the current. _My heart's disconnected, _Alex's echo sounded. Transferring all of her spiritual senses to her center, the graceful being tried to listen; to watch; to learn. All was silent but the constant beating of her wounded heart. _It's in me…This is my fault._ Suddenly, the endless stream of flowing energy and womb-like warmth came to a halt, consuming all in fire. Shocked, Alex felt her connection to her inner self become frail as she started gasping for physical air. Clenching her throat, the young woman watched in horror as the flames licked and consumed themselves in an eternal void of darkness. She was at war with herself, and it was destroying everything in existence. Jolting forward, Alex awoke from her meditation, her heart pounding and her breath rampant and heavy. Her hair dangling down over her eyes, the young woman felt icy sweat chilling the back of her neck as well as her body. Her eyes open wide, the young wizard tried to calm herself. She was terrified. Everything was shattered. Her jaw trembling, Alex looked down at herself, trying not to vomit. "There's a way," she whispered, accepting all the pain she would soon endure.

Outside the girl's window, fluttering its wings against the orange and red sky of dusk, a single white butterfly remained still in the air, watching the wizard. Trembling, Alex rose to her feet, her heart violently pounding, and walked towards a mirror. The butterfly clung to the window, its entire body still and fixated on the young woman. "There's too much evil inside of me," Alex told herself, remembering that night with Riley, failing to save Stevie, involving Harper in the affairs of magic: Then, she turned with regret to her artwork, her friendships, her hopes, her dreams, and everything that made Alex who she was. "I don't want it anymore…I don't want any of it." Slowly touching her right hand to the center of her chest, feeling the loving embrace of her mana covering her entire arm, the young woman closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel her rampant heart. Muttering a prayer to herself, Alex made contact with her physical and spiritual heart, clenching her eyes shut in agony, and slowly pulled a part of herself out of her heart. A flash of white energy struck down in her room like lightning. Screaming in anguish and turmoil, Alex felt herself crying like a child. At last, the storm ended, and Alex raised herself up onto her feet, clenching her desk corner for support. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, the young woman remained still. Her skin was somewhat white, but not pale. Her eyes were vibrant and her pupils intense: a direct window into her cleansed soul. Her dark brown hair was long, flowing, and straight, as it was in her childhood, while rejuvenated with a vibrant rendition of her natural color bleeding over the extinguished shade of black. Her heartbeat calm and gentle like a child at rest, Alex slowly reached her lightened hand towards a mirror, gently making contact with the glass. The nearly angelic image the young wizard witnessed began to darken, its essence bleeding like a melting glacier. Pulling her hand back in shock, Alex watched what was once her reflection corrupt itself: its clothing turned black and flowing like ink, its eyes darkening and becoming sharp and scornful, nearly glowing with wicked red energy, her hair fading closer to black with only light-expressed undertones of the natural brown color, her skin becoming pale and cloaked with shadow, lips turning to the color of blood, her expressions contorting into sinister and horrific perversions of their former self, and blood-rose red silk bled over an exposed portion of her arms, ending as fingerless gloves to keep her sharp, red nails visible. The image of a nightmare: all of Alex's wickedness and sin was staring back at her. And it was not ugly or horrid but beautiful and terrible. The evil reflection of Alex stared at its opposite, dawning a serpent-like smile.

Her jaw dropped, Alex slowly walked back. Proud and still, the evil being gazed into the girl's soul. "Why are you running away, Alex?" she mocked in Alex's voice. Evil and hatred laced every word. "What do you have to be afraid of? You're free, aren't you? Free from all your sins…Free from the monster you've always been deep down. Can you still feel it? Do you still remember how it tastes? All that regret…all that hatred…all that pain? It's all still there, isn't it?"

"That doesn't matter anymore," Alex shot back, slowly mustering her strength again. "I'm not like you…I'm not you…anymore."

"But I'm you," the cruel image replied, her tone hurt and mockingly childish. "It's because of you that I exist…you made me. Just because you threw me out, doesn't mean you're any better because of it."

"…No," Alex shamefully admitted. "But I'm going to try…I can make up for it…I can start over and be a better person now. I won't have you holding me back…I won't hear your voice inside of my head anymore!"

"But it's your voice," the evil Alex replied. "No one held you back but yourself…no one but you did those things. Alex Russo did all of this…and aren't you still Alex Russo?"

"…No," the Latina answered. "I'm not…I'm a better person now. Alex Russo died when I locked her away in a mirror. My name is Alexandria." Picking up a sheet, the young wizard cloaked the mirror, blocking the reflection. "And I'll never be you again," Alexandria whispered, sharply turning away and leaving the room. Remaining still, as if learning, the white butterfly focused its eyes on the mirror.


	3. Sins of the Father

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Three: Sins of the Father

Justin, Max, and Alex sat side by side on a couch in The Lair, looking over one of their final incantations. Jerry turned the page of a large book, reading over its enchanted words. "We're almost done with magic lessons," the Italian man declared, his voice mellow and optimistic. "Max, I'll still be giving you assignments, but our classroom days are just about done. You'll all have access to The Lair at all times, so be responsible."

"Thanks, Dad," Justin replied, looking away from his studies.

"It's just like graduation," Max added, his voice slowly growing deeper as he reached maturity. Still, he maintained his childhood optimism.

Glancing at the smile on her little brother's face, Alexandria felt her heart warm over. Placing her fair-skinned hand on her brother's, the Latina smiled, lovingly chuckling under her breath. Nodding his head, Max welcomed his sister's affection before returning his attention to his father.

"It only seems fitting that the last spell I teach all of you is the first one my father taught my brother, sister, and I," Jerry concluded. "Alex, Justin, Max, please step forward. The three teenagers rose up and walked forward, stopping just in front of their father. Their excitement and tension rendering them nearly still, the Russo siblings looked to their father. "Wow, you guys are never this quiet," the man joked. "Sorry. Okay, here we go. Now, hold out your hands by your side." Alex, Max, and Justin opened their arms, nearly holding their neighbor's hand. "Now Justin, since you're the oldest and most experienced, you should begin. Repeat what I say." Justin nodded. "_Nobis__unum sint_." _Let us be one._

"_Nobis__unum sint_," the eldest child repeated, his voice serious and almost grave. Slowly, a mist of red, flowing energy matching that of his mana formed around Justin's hands.

"Now, Alex," Jerry continued, stepping in front of his daughter. "Say, '_In__corde__et in__anima_.'" _In heart and soul._

Finally at peace, Alexandria closed her eyes, feeling her magic flowing within her veins. _"__In__corde__et in__anima_," she repeated, looking down to see blue energy flowing around her hands and uniting with Justin's red energy.

"And finally, Max," the middle-aged man concluded, stepping in front of his son. "My youngest child. Say, '_et__non__eris usque in perpetuum_.'" _And may it be forever._

Pushing himself to remember, Max let in a deep breath through his nose (something his big sister had taught him). "_E__t__non__eris usque in perpetuum_," the youngest of the siblings concluded, feeling his emerald energy coursing and flowing around his hands, uniting with Alex and Justin's.

"_Whoa," Justin exclaimed, his reaction only existing in thought. "That felt…incredible."_

"_I felt it, too," Alexandria agreed, her thoughts mingled into a greater whole._

"_It feels kinda weird," Max added, not aware of his current state of being. "Hey, wait a minute…"_

"_We're sharing our thoughts, Maxi," the young woman explained. "And if you listen close enough, you can hear our hearts together."_

_Basking in the wondrous feeling, the Russo siblings allowed themselves to drift deeper into their soul-selves. For the split second they were united, they experienced memories, truths, fears, joys, and love. Feeling something abnormal, Justin broke his concentration for a moment, severing the connection._

"Wow," Max exclaimed, snapping back to reality. "That was…wow. How long were we out, Dad?"

"Only two seconds," Jerry answered. "This is a precious gift, you guys. It'll help strengthen your bond as brother and sister. As a whole, the spell will be greater than its sum, but at any time, each of you can use your part of the incantation to be near one of your siblings in spirit. Obviously, you won't be able to mind meld like you just did, but it's a way of keeping in contact, no matter the distance."

Walking over to her father, Alex tightly wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her smile-blessed face up against him. Her eyes closed, the young woman felt her heart warm over. "Thanks, Daddy," she exclaimed, her voice peaceful and gentle. Caught somewhat off-guard, Jerry slowly returned the gesture, warmly embracing his beloved daughter. All was silent.

Staring subtly at his sister, Justin felt someone was wrong: something was different, and it all had to do with Alex. All on a deeper level. Max didn't see it, though. Only Justin saw. Only he knew. However, his thoughts were unfocused. All he knew was that something had changed: nothing more and nothing less. He couldn't let that ruin the occasion, though. Putting a false smile on his face, the young man joined his sister and father, followed shortly by Max.

"We've gotta tell Mom," Alex happily declared. "Come on!"

As the young woman began to run for her mother, the doorway to The Lair opened. "Guys," Harper called in, her face reddened with fear. "Hurry!" The group ran out into their secret room in the cellar of the Sub Station, entering once more into the realm of humans. Locking and sealing the door behind him, Justin made sure the family's haven was protected.

Following Harper, the group stood beside Theresa as she stared intently at the small television atop a shelf. Holding her mouth with her right hand and holding herself with her left, the mortal woman watched in horror.

"Oh, god," Jerry whispered, his voice trembling. Alex took Harper's hand as the six viewed a severe news broadcast.

"Reports have been flooding in that New York is being assaulted by an unknown force," an African-American anchorwoman declared, struggling to maintain her composure. "At first, we believed this to be a terrorist assault, but the nature of this incident has revealed something far worse. Something beyond our comprehension." Behind her, images taken from security cameras and a live news feed played out: Men and women desperately ran away from one location, screaming, crying out, and even trampling one another. Suddenly, the cameraman turned back to the heart of the tension, fleeing pedestrians knocking into him and obstructing his trembling shot. A tall, male individual dressed in torn jeans and a black hoodie concealing his face slowly walked forward, unhindered by the raging crowds around him. Flaring out his hands, the man released an invisible wave of energy, propelling roughly ten people on either side of him outward, causing a grizzly sound of shattering glass and brutal impacts off-screen. Suddenly, the view of the camera shot upward before crashing, causing the station to cut to another source.

"Helicopter reports of the area are scattered," a man with dark sunglasses loudly announced, trying to speak over the sound of the propeller blades spinning above him. "No one's been able to get close to the attacker. For unexplained reasons, our radio and equipment has been stalling on and off. We believe it may have to do with the reported attack on the city." The camera panned down to the city, zooming in as close to the scene below as possible. All that appeared were blurry images and a large clearing where only one figure stood. In an instant, the image fell out of focus.

"We've lost control!" an unseen man cried out off-camera. "The copter's being pulled down." The land below the craft rapidly growing closer, the cameraman returned his gaze to the reporter, who promptly leaped from his seat and out the open door. "Holy shit, he just killed himself!" an indeterminate voice cried out.

Beneath the view of the aircrafts, buildings made of glass began to shatter, raining down on the desperate crowds below. Then, massive, cascading flames arose from the sewers, destroying streets, igniting fleeing men and women, and choking out the air with black smoke that smelled of agony and burning flesh mingled with blood.

"Oh my gosh," Alexandria exclaimed, unable to look away from the horror. "What's going on?"

"I've gotta get to Juliet," Justin declared, pulling his wand from his pocket.

"It's too dangerous," Jerry shouted, unable to control himself. "We need to get inside The Lair. That thing's getting closer and killing everything around it."

"I only need a second to find her," the young man replied, his voice staunch and brave. "I have her blood. It's just a matter of getting her here."

"As soon as you find her, get back here," Jerry gave in. "We'll be waiting in The Lair when you get back."

"If I'm not back in five minutes…" the eldest Russo child began, his voice growing grave.

"It won't come to that," the boy's father replied, firmly placing his hands on his son's shoulders.

"You have to seal The Lair if I'm not back in time," Justin persisted. "I know what I'm doing, and you guys have to keep each other safe." Running to her child, Theresa tightly hugged him, her eyes burned and blinded with tears. "I love you guys. I love all of you. But you have to get inside. Now!" Harper grabbed Alex and Max's hands, forcing them towards the door.

"Justin!" Alex cried out, trying to fight back without hurting her friend. "Justin, you can't go alone! I'll come with you!"

"Not this time, Alex," the young man shot back. "You need to keep them safe. Promise me you'll stay with them." Defeated, Alex nodded her head and pulled her mother and father close to her and the others. Waving his wand, Justin vanished, leaving only a mist of red energy behind.

Fleeing into the secret room, Alex shut the door to The Lair behind herself, having made sure she was the last one in. "We can't leave him out there like this!" Theresa cried out. "He's our boy! We should be with him, protecting him!"

"Mom," Alex gently replied, placing her hand on her mother's shoulder. "He's going to be okay. It won't take him long to find her. But for now, we have to stay strong."

"Hold this place down," Max added, trying to appear brave. Silently, the group fell into prayer. Her eyes closed and her hands wrapped around her family, Alex remembered Mason: his photograph still under her pillow. _Come on, Justin, _she told herself. _I can't lose you, too._

Suddenly, the door opened, and Juliet, followed closely by Justin, who held the key to The Lair in both hands, entered. Justin quickly closed, locked, and sealed the doorway.

"My baby," Theresa cried out, running to her son and hugging him. "Thank God you're safe." Justin closed his eyes and held his mother.

Max quickly wrapped his arms around the vampiress, his eyes closed and his touch innocent. "We're gonna be okay, kiddo," Juliet said, gently stroking the boy's hair.

Alex walked beside the blond young woman, showing no trace of emotion. "Hey," she said, getting Juliet's attention. "…Glad you could make it." After a second of silence, the two let out relieved sighs in harmony before lovingly embracing the other.

"Thank you guys," Juliet said, holding Alex tight. "And Justin…that was the most idiotic…caring, selfless thing anyone's ever done for me." The couple came together and kissed before resting their heads on their lover's shoulder.

Harper, Theresa, Alex, Max, Justin, Jerry, and Juliet sat next to one another, the chairs and couches arranged in a circle in the heart of The Lair. Taking the stand, Jerry opened a single pane of the stained glass wall, letting lights from the Magical Realm shine into the room. "The Council has all the information from the sightings," the Italian man declared, watching the lights take shape. "If there's a connection, we'll find it." Altering its color and shape, the beams formed an image of the shrouded assailant.

"Whoever…whatever that guy is," Justin began. "His powers aren't from magic. There's no trace of mana from any of his attacks."

Slowly, the attacker's image transformed into that of a teenage boy with blue-dyed hair and several facial piercings, proceeding to touch the shoulders of a young brunette woman before pressing her against the wall of an alley, kissing her passionately. Gasping, the teenage girl collapsed on the ground, leaving the boy smirking with bloody lips. Unsettled, Alex covered her mouth, unable to look away. The lights contorted the image of the boy, rendering it a hawk almost black in color.

"What is it?" Max asked, awestruck and disgusted.

"He's going after women," Juliet declared. "Obviously a shapeshifter. An incubus?"

"Looks like it," Alex answered. "But how could it attack in broad daylight and have power like that?"

"Couldn't that girl from MidWest?" Max asked. "Before her and her friend died?"

"Maybe he's more than an incubus," Justin suggested. "But where did he come from?"

"And how long has he been out there?" Alex added. "The Council would've stopped him if they knew…How could he stay hidden from them this long when he's been in plain sight?"

"I have no idea," Jerry answered, cupping his mouth in his right hand. "I've been trying to reach the Elders, but our connection keeps failing. The secret's out…the people know they're not alone. The Elders know that…We've got nothing left to lose."

"Can we go to them?" Theresa asked. "I can stay here and protect The Lair."

"Mom," Alexandria replied, her voice soft and timid. "You don't have magic. If you stay here alone, you'll die. _I_ have to stay here."

"If she's staying, I'm staying," Max declared, throwing himself onto his feet.

"No, Max," the young woman shot back, putting her hand on her baby brother's shoulder. "You're too young: Your powers aren't strong enough yet."

"We can reach the Elders through our portal," Jerry explained. "But no _one_ of us can stay here alone. The stakes are too high. Not just for The Lair, but for everyone. We've all seen what that thing can do…going at him alone would be suicide." Remembering the carnage in the world she fought so hard to love, Harper forced herself to stare at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the others.

"I'll stay behind with her," Juliet declared. "My Vampire blood can protect me from that thing's sway."

Clenching his fist, Justin made a decision: _I can't be selfish…Dad, Mom, and I have to be the ones to appeal to the Elders…and there's no way Max or Harper would be able to survive all this…Forgive me…_ "They're right," the young man declared, catching everyone off-guard. "Alex is the most qualified to guard The Lair, and Juliet may be the only one of us that thing won't be able manipulate." Harper gazed at the young man she'd known her entire life, her eyes reflecting great shock and disbelief. "I don't know how long we'll be away, but if you guys need anything, you're the only one who can walk through the streets safe, Juliet." _It has to be done. Stop thinking like a child and start being the leader you have to be._

Juliet warmly embraced her lover, whispering a passionate goodbye and blessing. Leaning towards the young woman's ear, Justin whispered something of his own, making sure no one else could hear or determine his words. Slowly pulling apart, the Italian young man glanced at his sister for a split second before making his way towards the stained glass door.

"We have to go," Jerry declared, fighting off the growing urge to forsake everything and protect his child. "Now."

Theresa hugged her little girl and kissed her one last time on the cheek. "You'll be okay," she whispered, gently stroking Alex's long, dark hair. "I love you forever." Harper, trying to restrain herself from breaking down in tears, tightly hugged her oldest and truest friend. Alex returned the gesture, gently stroking her hand up and down her beloved friend's upper back. Choking out gasps, Harper slowly let go, unable to see through the tears. "I love you, Harper," Alex whispered, taking her friend's soft hands before giving her a parting blessing in the form of a kiss upon her lips. "And don't worry about me…we'll be fine." Trying desperately to be strong, the redheaded young woman nodded, clenching her eyes to stop the tears.

Jerry tightly embraced his only daughter, his breath heavy, though he maintained his composure. "I'm so proud of you, angel," he declared. "You've grown so much, Alex…I know you two will be okay. We all believe in you." Kissing his child on her forehead, the middle-aged man expressed his thanks to Juliet, and awaited his wife and children at the door.

"Promise me you'll be okay," Max begged, pulling his sister and Juliet together in a trembling hug.

"We promise, Max," Alex warmly replied, leaning down and kissing her baby brother on the crown of his hair.

"Promise us the same," Juliet declared, her voice bold and strong for the boy who needed assurance now more than ever.

Nodding, the boy managed to choke out an agreement. "Will do," he vowed. Pulling the teenager close, the vampiress gently kissed him upon his head, and then urged him to join his parents.

"Alex," Justin said, standing close to his sister. "Thank you…I promise we'll all walk away from this…but I have to tell you…no matter how much I try to hide it, or how many times I've screwed up…I love you. I couldn't have asked for a better sister…and whatever you've been fighting…I'll be there to help you." Remembering the beast trapped inside her mirror, Alex merely nodded. _No…No, you won't._ Hugging her older brother, the Latina listened to his heartbeat one last time. "Thank you," she whispered. "Save everyone." Swallowing hard, the young man mouthed his agreement before turning and walking towards the door.

"I know we've had some…issues in the past," Harper said, staring into Juliet's human eyes. "And I'm sorry…thank you…for being a good friend to all of us. I know you and Justin will be happy together, and I love you for that." The two hugged for the first time. Letting go, the young woman looked at Alex. "Just promise me…Promise me you'll keep each other safe," she cried out.

"We swear it," Alex and Juliet answered in harmony. With that, the Russo family and Harper slowly entered the Magical Realm, professing their gratefulness, approval, and promise of safe return to those who would sacrifice everything for the greater good. Finally, the door closed behind Justin, leaving Alex and Juliet alone.

Silence filled the air for a moment. All was calm, though fear, tension, anxiety, and a looming sense of death made its way into the blood of the two friends. "…Alex," Juliet finally said, breaking the silence. "What happened?"


	4. Babel

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Four: Babel

_Slowly, gently placing his right hand upon his lover's cheek, Mason stared into Alex's eyes. Lifting her left hand, the young woman graced her finger tips upon her boyfriend's outer palm. Leaning closer to one another, the two lovingly pressed their lips together, feeling each other's light and warmth. Their hearts beating in harmony, the young lovers felt the world around them slow down. Seconds turned to minutes, all in the pattern of a heartbeat. There was no fear: No secrets: No shame. This was how it was meant to be. Slowly, the memory cracked, and through the cracks, blood slowly seeped out._ Taking her eyes away from the void, Alex looked at Juliet. "I'm fine," the Latina answered. "Nothing happened…nothing."

"You just don't seem yourself," Juliet replied. "Alex, I know everything seems wrong and broken now…but this is all going to pass. Everything's going to be okay again."

"My name's Alexandria, Juliet," the dark-haired young woman gently replied, her voice free of any anger. "I don't know if what's happening is going to stop…or if we're going to be able to stop it… But things aren't going to be the same ever again."

"That's not always a bad thing," the vampiress said, trying with all her might to make everything okay.

"No," Alexandria answered, her tone drifting. "No, it's not."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" the blond young woman persisted. "We're friends, Lexi. I won't tell Justin or anyone unless you want me to."

"I know that, Juliet," the Latina replied. "I just need to put some things behind me. And thank you…for always being there for me."

"That's what friends are for," Juliet happily replied, gently placing her cold hand on Alex's shoulder. "I thought Harper taught you that." The two allowed themselves to chuckle for a moment, only to fall back into silence. The holes were still there, but nothing more could be done at the time.

Hours passed by slowly as Alexandria found herself staring at the door blocking the outside world. Her wand in hand, the young wizard was prepared to defend The Lair, though something troubled her: Something held her back. Louder than the blast of an explosive, the sound of solid glass shattering on the ground pulled the Latina's attention away from her guard. Clenching the table, Juliet held her abdomen tightly, doubled over in pain. "Juliet!" Alex cried out, running to the aid of her friend.

"Don't come near me!" the young blond woman cried out, tearing her trembling hand away from her support and blocking Alex's path. Dropping her hand, Juliet took in a deep breath and reached into her pocket, revealing a thin, clear glass vial sealed tightly and containing pure, liquid blood. The young wizard slowly stepped back as her friend broke off the lid and shakingly bottomed the plasma. Closing her eyes, feeling the pain ease and her body returning to peace, Juliet slowly slid onto the floor, breathing heavily. "Alex…" she gasped, still recovering. "It's okay. It's just animal blood…I'm okay." Alexandria slowly approached her friend, sitting down beside her. "Something's wrong…I shouldn't need blood this soon."

Acting quickly, the wizard opened a single pane from the door to the Magical Realm, letting the lights shine in. Soon, the image of a woman heavily scarred from her face down to her left arm formed. Hissing like a snake, the woman held out her hands, as if welcoming something, and began taking in various forms of energy from the air.

"What is that thing?" Juliet insisted, struggling to rise to her feet.

"I don't know," Alexandria confessed. "But whatever it is, it's feeding off the earth. If that's not the same thing that attacked earlier, there's an army coming."

Clenching her stomach, Juliet expelled a sharp breath, trying to restrain herself. "It hurts," she groaned, gritting her teeth and tightly shutting her eyes.

"The blood's supposed to help you," the Latina replied, coming to her friend's aid.

"It's not enough," the vampiress exclaimed. "When my parents…" Gasping quickly and sharply, the young woman struggled to speak. "Gave birth to me, they…They made me different from themselves…they found a way to fill my body with a soul…so I could have a choice on what I became…but it wasn't enough…I can survive off animal blood…but I need mana to feed off of…Not my own, but from the earth. I…You have to get away from me, Alex…I don't know what I'm gonna turn into if this keeps up…Oh, god, it hurts!" Biting her lips to the point of drawing blood, the young woman pressed her back to the wall, gasping and sobbing violently.

"I'll stop her," Alexandria volunteered. "You're going to be okay, Juliet."

"You're not…leaving The Lair!" the blond young woman declared, her face and neck clenching. Violently opening her eyes, Juliet glared at her friend with fiery red eyes and bearing her fangs. "You need to lock me away…something blessed. Keep me from losing control again."

"I'm not gonna let you suffer," the young wizard refused, no longer able to watch another in pain. "You only need mana if you're feeding off animal blood…so take mine. It's the only way to stop this."

"No!" Juliet screamed, thrusting herself forward, though still unable to stand. "You do that, I'll kill you! I won't be able to stop myself. You have no idea what human blood will do to me."

"But I'm not human, Juliet," Alexandria insisted. "I have mana inside my blood…and I can give it to you without being bitten. They need us both alive and strong to protect The Lair, and I'm not going to sit back and watch you die." Touching the sapphire gem of her wand to her arm, the young wizard watched a small amount of her blood stream into the air, void of gravity or bounds. The red liquid then became incased in glass. "Drink it, Juliet," the young woman insisted, giving her friend the vial. "It's pure. It won't hurt you like normal blood would."

"What do you mean, pure?" Juliet winced, reluctantly grabbing the glass. "Alex, what did you do?"

The sound of shattering and human cries tore through the entire room. Feeling a deep sense of empathetic pain, Alex stood up, as if hypnotized, and began to walk towards the doorway out.

"Alex!" the vampiress cried out, forcing herself up, only to be jolted back down by her suffering body. "Alex, where are you going? You can't go out there!" Too weak to move, Juliet could only watch her friend open the door.

"I can't sit by while someone dies," Alexandria declared. "Drink the blood and keep yourself safe. I'm coming back. No one can get in without me if I use the right seal."

"Alex, you're insane!" Juliet screamed, feeling everything grow hazy. "You'll be killed! I can't let you…"

"Trust me, Juliet…" the young woman interrupted, her voice laced with sorrow and self-hatred. "You're the _only_ one who cares."

Departing from The Lair and sealing the door behind her, Alex left her friend alone but safe. Her breaths quaking, Juliet slowly raised the vial of pure blood, no longer able to deny herself of it. Slowly gulping down the liquid, the vampiress felt an icy, loving embrace wash over her body. Her weak and frail bones grew stronger, her throbbing, quaking body returned to strength, her senses sharpened to unveil a new world, and her pupils became solid red and almost feline in appearance. The experience was so new, but all too similar to the horrors of the girl's past. _She's not the same Alex anymore, _Juliet told herself, feeling her mind open._ I can't leave…not like this. I've gotta tell the others. Have to keep control…already slipping away._

Securing the door to The Lair behind her, Alex ran into the center of the Sub Station, catching a glimpse of the surrounding turmoil under the night's sky before sprinting up the spiral staircase. The young woman's first instinct was to call out in order to reassure the victim, but she knew the risk of exposure was too great. Following the sound of crackling glass and struggling, Alexandria found herself at her bedroom door. Remembering what was waiting on the other side, the young wizard swallowed hard and thrust open the door. A young man was half-way through the closed window, his stomach bent inward while his neck and arms dangled just above the floor, his legs frantically kicking outside as the jagged edges of the shattered window jabbed into his abdomen, drenching his torso in blood that heavily dripped onto the ground, all the while, the beast was still shrouded in its mirror prison. Her heart stilled, Alexandria charged towards the suffering man, trying to shut out the wicked laughter from her wicked self. "Don't move," Alexandria pleaded, trying to calm herself enough to help the poor creature. "Relax…I can get you out of this."

"H-how?" the young man choked out, feeling hot, burning blood seeping from his lips.

"Just close your eyes," the young wizard instructed, taking her wand from her boot. "_Sileo_," she whispered, encompassing the boy in blue mana. "_Esto_." Suddenly, the blades of glass evaporated, leaving the young man still and levitating above it all. Her eyes glowing with pink energy, Alexandria gently moved her arms towards the center of the room, slowly moving the boy and turning him onto his back before setting him down on the carpet like a child. Amidst all the thick blood stains, the victim's inner muscles and several of his bones were exposed, his stomach deeply gored.

"Are you gonna kiss him?" the evil Alex mocked, seeing only vague glimpses of what was occurring. "Like we kissed Mason? Or are you gonna cut and run?"

"Stop it!" Alexandria cried out, her composure shattered.

"What is that?" the young man groaned, unable to open his eyes.

"It's nothing," the young wizard quickly replied. "Now hold still, please…This is going to hurt."

The boy nodded, entrusting himself to a kindly stranger. Carefully removing what was left of the injured man's shirt, Alexandria placed her hands over his wounded body, her palms facing downward. Opening her eyes wide and deep into an Empathetic state, the young wizard felt the deep, heavenly mana flow over her vision. _He has five shards of glass inside of him…two piercing his diaphragm. Major blood-loss…major flesh wound, _Alex learned. "_Sano Consano,_" the young woman chanted under her breath, feeling the glass turn to water, the rushing blood becoming still, the inner wounds sealing themselves, the punctures filling in, and finally, the original flesh that was torn away by the unseen accident attached itself with pink and flesh-toned strings of tissue, closing the hole, and mending the last of the scars. Waving her right hand once more over the young man, Alexandria watched the stains of blood fade and vanish.

Wincing, the boy attempted to raise himself up into a seated position, only to feel his savior's warm hand on his chest, restricting him. "Don't try to move yet," Alexandria gently instructed. "Your body's still recovering from the shock. Just be still. You're going to be okay."

"Thank you," the young man gasped out, closing his eyes in the presence of a light above him. "…My name's Dominic."

"I'm Alexandria," the Latina replied, allowing herself to smile. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Mustering his strength, Dominic breathed in deeply. "I was running away…my family and I were trying to get away from that thing…but he cried something, and they just fell to the ground…I felt this…stabbing pain going through me, like someone stuck a spike through me…and then the wind threw me up…I was bleeding and paralyzed…and then someone found me and saved me…and her name was Alexandria."

Seeing a glimpse of Mason's strong, kind, vulnerable heart in the young man, the young wizard smiled deeply, slowly pressing her hand to his heart. The evil Alex chuckled to herself. "Your heartbeat's strong," Alexandria declared. "I need you to come with me. Can you walk?"

"I can try," Dominic answered, forcing himself upward with great strain.

"Gently," the young woman said, taking the boy's right hand while supporting his back with her left. "You're gonna be okay."

"Where 'er we going?" the young man asked, forcing himself up straight on his feet. Alexandria kept her hands on the wounded boy, making sure he maintained his balance.

"Some place safe," Alexandria answered.

"Some place quiet and dark…"the beast taunted the two. "Where she can kiss you, and feel you, and lick you."

"Stop it!" the young wizard cried out, her ability to fight back all but forgotten.

"And fuck you," the evil Alex whispered before slipping into a fit of cackling.

"What is that?" Dominic demanded.

"It's nothing," Alexandria answered. "Something that should've been left behind a long time ago."

"…But she's you," the young man realized, stopping cold in his tracks. "It's okay. I know you're a wizard…so am I." Caught off-guard, the Latina felt her mouth open in a moment of vulnerable shock. "My parents made me keep it a secret…said I was a monster…But I knew they were wrong. And I always knew I wasn't alone." Dominic's voice was warm, calm, loving, and gentle as he slowly lifted his trembling hand to touch Alex's cheek. "We're not monsters…You're an angel."

"…Thank you," the young woman replied, lowering her head and resting her hand upon the boy's, just as she had with Mason all that time ago. "…But I'm not…I was so much worse before."

"Before what?" Dominic inquired, not moving his hand. "What happened?"

Slowly shaking her head, her eyes nearly closed, Alexandria swallowed her pride once more. "Come on," she said. "We have to get to The Lair before that thing attacks again."

"Alex," the young man persisted. "What did you do?"

"We don't have time for this now," the young woman declared. "We have to go."

"But what about her?" Dominic asked, gesturing towards the shrouded beast.

"It doesn't matter," Alexandria insisted, slowly growing frantic. "She's a part of me. If anything happens to her, it'll only hurt me. No one but me."

"What is she?" the young man pleaded.

"Tell him, Alexandria," the evil Alex called out. "Tell him everything I am. It'll be fun to hear."

"It doesn't matter," the young wizard argued. "I'll tell you once we're back in The Lair."

"Alex…" Dominic replied.

"Don't call me that anymore!" the Latina broke down. "My name is Alexandria! I'm not Alex anymore! I got rid of a part of myself…okay? I made mistakes, I did bad things…This is what's best. I split myself into my good and evil halves. I can be a better person now. I don't ever have to be her ever again."

"But you were," the dark side sneered. "You still have to live with what we did…what was done to us. You can never take away all those years, Alex. Mommy and Daddy can't wish them away. Justin and Max can't erase them with magic. Face it, little girl…all you did was give up on yourself."

"Why won't you stop it?" Alexandria cried out, leaving Dominic to lean against the wall for support and charging over to the mirror. Tearing the cover off, the young woman stared her wicked reflection in the eyes. "I hate you! You did everything wrong! I hate everything about you! I hate myself! I threw all that away. I'm better than you! Leave us all alone!"

"Oh, you threw me away," the evil Alex pretended to sob, covering her heart with both hands. "You didn't want me anymore, so you got rid of me…You gave up on me. Just like we did to Mason. Just like they did to us. Do you remember that, little Alex?"

"That's not my name!" the Latina screamed, clenching the crown of her hair with both hands.

"Remember how we made our mother cry together?" the evil thing laughed unrelentingly. "Remember the look Riley had on his face when we fucked him and left? Remember how we always did our own thing no matter how many rules we broke? Remember how much we loved it?"

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it now!" Alexandria cried out, throwing everything off of her dresser while bursting into tears. Her body giving way to her trauma, the young woman rested her arms on the wooden surface of her dresser, letting her head drop in an effort to conceal her tears. After a moment of agonizing silence, the wizard felt warm, gentle hands on her shoulders. Slowly straightening her posture and drying her eyes, Alexandria stood still. "We have to go," she whispered. "We've waited too long."

"You're right," Dominic boldly replied, his words followed by a shrill ringing sound and s sharp, burning pain flaring through Alexandria's lower diaphragm.

Gasping, the young wizard turned around, her jaw dropped and her face locked into an agonized look of fearful shock and vulnerability. Glancing down, Alexandria clenched the blade extruding from her chest, feeling the hot blood seep from the wound. Smiling wickedly, Dominic watched his savior fall to her knees, gasping and coughing. "Dominic," the young woman choked out. "W-Why would…" Tears streamed from the wizard's eyes, blinding her.

"My name's Gancanagh," the monster replied, making his way towards the mirror. "You wizards truly are pathetic creatures. Only in your vices do you have power."

Her face trembling, Alexandria turned her tear-burned eyes towards her betrayer. Every breath throbbed, forcing her onto the ground it pain.

Staring into the eyes of Alex's wicked reflection, Gancanagh touched his icy hand to the glass, smiling a sick smile at the beast. "That lair she was talking about," she said, her voice strong and sure. "That's a gateway to our world. But you don't get shit if you kill me."

"I have no intention of that," the creature replied, shattering the glass and releasing the evil Alex. "I find my mother's fury in your eyes, and I believe you could be a great ally to me. Will you rule by my side as their worlds burn?"

"I will," the beast answered. "But I'll never bow to you." The two smiled and kissed, forcing Alexandria to look away, her entire body frosted over in agony.


	5. All is Lost

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Five: All is Lost

All was silent in the blue, icy crystalline plane of existence within the Magical Realm. Blue energy constantly coursed and flowed within the translucent structures. From nowhere, a cool, ocean-like blast of wind filled the air, and the world trembled. Harper shot her head up and down and then to the sides, scared and uncertain in a new and fantastic place. Feeling his sister's friend's concern, Max took Harper's warm, soft hand, looking her kindly in the eyes to show her everything was okay. Smiling warmly, the young woman whispered, "Thanks, Max." The boy smiled back and nodded, not letting go. Justin, Jerry, and Theresa remained staunch, not budging or losing their composure. Ancient whispers formed within the winds, giving presence to all that surrounded the group.

Slowly, the indeterminate voices and ancient words grew louder, taking form in a language the five knew well. Thousands of pure, ghostly voices spoke in harmony. _You have come weighed down by fear and great burden…Seeking the council of those greater than us. You bring in your party both wizards and mortals: those of mana as well as physical form. You stand as equals amongst one another._

"With your permission," Justin began, his voice calm but firm and reverent. "On behalf of all worlds, we need entrance to the inner realm. There is a threat mounting that could end all we know… Please."

_We have no use for sentiment or emotion, child. Our knowledge is pure and absolute. The fate of earth as well as our own realm has been revealed to us long ago. You are to proceed towards the Elders as you desire. From there, all will be as designed._

"And what is this design?" Theresa inquired, her voice bold.

_All you can know are the actions you will take. We cannot interfere in the matters of what are to come. We were made still long ago._ For what felt like an eternity, all was silent. _Go now. Do what you have been destined to do._

"There's no such thing as destiny," Max whispered, clenching his right fist. The Council heard the boy, but remained silent as a doorway into the inner realm appeared.

_Go forth. It is what you are meant to do._ Justin, Juliet, Theresa, Max, Harper, and Jerry walked forward into the doorway, finding themselves in an entirely new location.

Sitting alone and isolated on the floor of The Lair, her back pressed to the wall. Clenching her crossed arms with the opposite hand, the vampiress constantly rocked herself back and forth, burdened with everything: every sound, sight, smell, and taste flooding every part of her every waking second. Her body growing weak again, Juliet moved her quaking hand into her pocket, pulling out several vials of pure animal blood. Furiously consuming vial after vial, the young woman found the effects waning. "Oh, no," she gasped out, her breath trembling. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no," she babbled, feeling every part of her physical and spiritual being tightening and distorting. "No, no, no, no. Please," she whispered, unable to fight back the tears. Clenching her eyes shut, Juliet grabbed her pounding forehead, feeling the tremors growing stronger. Finally, she opened her eyes, revealing hollow, dark, red pupils.

Justin, Jerry, Theresa, Max, and Harper saw that the sky was one with the cosmos above, allowing all stars, gasses, and heavenly bodies to bless the endless valley below. Long and free grass covered the ground, flowing along with the breeze. Thousands of species of trees had grown tall and proud upon the land, and a clear ocean rested motionless beyond it all. The group looked around in both curiosity and astonishment. Harper took in the harmony between the land and water, Theresa found peace in the gentle breeze that comforted her in childhood, Jerry gazed onto the horizon, Max tried to observe everything at once, and Justin stared upward into the stars and lights. Finally, the band of family and friends came to the water, which appeared to go on forever.

"I don't understand," Harper declared, her voice just above a whisper. "The Elders were supposed to be here. Is this whole thing some kind of riddle?"

"Maybe," Justin answered, gently setting his hand in the water. The transparent waves washed over the young man's fingers, causing a minor ripple to distort the clear view of the ground below. Slowly, the ripple moved outward into the sea, settling at a deep point where the land was unseen.

"Whatter you doing?" Max asked, unsure of his surroundings.

"I don't know," Justin answered, not taking his eyes off the water. "I just…feel like this is right."

"Look ahead," Theresa instructed, pointing towards the heart of the sea. The others followed her finger to see a white light dawning, which began to take shape.

"…They had to see that our actions were worth-while," Jerry realized, watching the lights form out the shape of seven men and women, all of which were greatly aged. "To see if the ripples we made would affect the flow of the sea."

"We have been watching you for many years," one of the astral images declared, his voice old and weary but bold and loud. "You have all come very far."

Looking down at themselves, the group saw a change: Harper saw herself as a little girl once again, her pink dress and sun hat flapping in the breeze. She and Alex were young friends, having met in recent years, and enjoyed simple and happy lives without magic. Then, as years passed by, Alex revealed her secret, and blessed their lives with magic. Justin, now an optimistic little boy again, ran through the tall grass, growing older until his thirteen-year-old self felt the bond between his mind and soul and the power and grace of nature. Magic drove him to succeed, making painful sacrifices to better himself, though his relentless pursuit to grow as a holder of magic caused him great stress and countless moral decisions. Gazing down at herself, Theresa saw her childhood once more. She ran and played and laughed with her mother and sisters, never wishing to grow up. As a teenager, she was terrified of growing up and getting married, which would take her away from her beloved family. However, the day never came that her romance took her away from her loved ones. Jerry was a good, caring, and sensitive man, and Theresa grew to be a loyal, strong, and loving wife, daughter, sister, and soon, a mother. Gracing her hand gently over her stomach, the woman felt Justin's first kick. Then, he was born, followed by Alex, and then Max. The fear was replaced by compassion as she watched her infant breathe for the first time. Now, she was a mother, trying to let her children live their own lives. Magic was a blessing in disguise, and it brought new joy to her existence before and during the lives of her babies. Jerry found himself walking alongside his brother and sister, all of them using magic to bring miracles before their mother and father. However, the siblings were torn apart when the Italian boy was victorious in a competition of magical worth, which he willingly turned over to his suffering brother. Magic left the man's life as it existed with him: a blessing to give to others. Now, Jerry was a husband and a father living a new and difficult life for his sons and daughters, who proved themselves worthy of their own magic, untouched by time or greed. Finally, Max saw himself growing up with Justin and Alex, constantly trying to avoid his brother's shadow. After years, though, the boy finally came to accept his older brother as a teacher and an equal to him and Alex. Magic was something the Russo siblings would always share.

"You have all stayed loyal to your innocent nature," a female Elder continued, her mist-like body flowing with the wind. "Growing and changing without forsaking yourselves or the blessings you were given. You have all fought hard to earn your place in both the realms of magic and reality."

"And what are those places?" Justin asked to himself. Max felt himself wondering the same thing. However, they knew not to present disrespect at a time and place such as this.

"Though, one of you suffers greatly," another astral projection added, keeping the silent words he heard unrecognized. "A part of her elected to stay behind with another being of equal worth."

"Alex," Theresa and Harper whispered. "We have to…"

"The roles you have all been chosen for," the Elders spoke in harmony. "Are only clear in what you see as the present. From this moment on, your paths will become known to you. Though it will take time you have not yet come to know, you will find yourselves anew. As for the fate of your world, it lies with those left behind."

Lying on the blood-stained carpet of her room, her eyes still blinded with burning tears, Alexandria gently placed her hand atop the wound, feeling the hot blood between her fingers. Wincing in agony, the young woman snuffed back, letting out her sobs for the wind to receive. Whispering a spell of healing, Alexandria felt the large slit under her chest slowly seal itself. Breathing in and out heavily, the young woman trembled. _How could I be so stupid? _she asked herself. _How could I leave Juliet alone? Too concerned with helping him…Couldn't see the big picture. It's all my fault. God, I'm so sorry._

"We need your help," Justin spoke out. "Can you show us what the enemy is?"

"The enemy lies with another part of your sister," the Elders answered, touching Justin at his heart and soul. "A part she has long tried to overcome. Find her in whole, and it will all become clear. Only then."

Lowering his head, Justin closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Within an instant, the group found themselves at the doorway back into The Lair. "We have to hurry," Theresa declared, her heart in a state of unrest. "That's our baby, Jerry." Pushing open the door, Justin was the first to witness Juliet thrashing her body against the walls and tables of The Lair, hissing and bearing her fangs in a made frenzy.

"Oh, god," Justin exclaimed, charging towards his lover. "She's in Bloodlust!" Trying desperately to restrain the woman, the young wizard clasped her arms, only to feel her sharpened nails dig into his knuckles. Gritting her teeth, Juliet threw Justin against a wall, knocking over several framed portraits and shattering them.

"Leave me alone!" the vampiress cried out, her screams rough and hoarse. Her red eyes surrounded with dark bags, Juliet lunged forward at her lover, content on drinking his blood. Seconds away from her prey, the salivating young woman found herself restrained by a solid wall of emerald energy.

"Juliet, calm down!" Max cried out, his wand outstretched and his body straining. Shooting her head towards the youngest of the Russo siblings, the vampiress sprang towards him, hissing with all her strength.

Suddenly paralyzed, Juliet viciously jerked her head in every direction, her thirst burning her throat and causing her body to throb. His physical eyes closed, Justin felt his soul-self constricting his best friend. The Lair had to be protected at all costs, and Juliet had to be brought back.

"Mom, Dad!" Max cried out, reinforcing his brother's barrier. "Find Alex! We can't let anything happen to her. Justin and I can help Juliet. We won't let anything happen to The Lair."

Theresa put her hand on her husband's shoulder, reminding him of what had to be done. Jerry nodded at Harper as Theresa led them out of The Lair, following a trace of Alex's mana. Before the door closed, Jerry threw down a bag of vampire salts, forming a temporary seal over the gateway to the Magical Realm and the potion shelf. "Never forget who you are," Theresa called out, shutting the door behind her husband.

A small stream of blood draining from his nose, the Italian young man struggled to maintain his grip. Smelling the sweet balm grace the air, Juliet shot her head back towards her lover's physical body. "Let me go, you bastards!" she screamed, flaring every muscle in her body. "You did this to me! You owe it to me to stop the pain! You have to! I've done everything for you, and you let your sister leave me alone with that thing outside!"

"That's not you talking, Juliet," Max replied, struggling to maintain his concentration. "You'd never say those things if you weren't hurting. Justin, I need your help. I can hold her, but you're the closest to her heart. You need to snap her out of this." Placing both hands on his wand, the boy focused his mana into an endless wrap, binding the vampiress' body. "Come on!"

His soul rejoining his flesh and blood, Justin ran to his lover's side, carefully holding her cheeks in his hands and gazing into her pain-filled red eyes. "Juliet," he said, trying to remain calm as the young woman suffered massive seizures. "Juliet, listen to me. Listen to me, please. It's me: Justin. You're going to be okay. I love you…and I'm here for you. We can find a way to help you, but you have to calm yourself. Remember who you are…Remember who _we_ are. Please." Juliet hissed sharply, her fangs fully exposed. Soon, a stream of tears flowed from both of her feral eyes. "Juliet, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you through all this. I had no idea what that thing was doing, and I'm sorry for that. Please…come back. We need you. I've always needed you. You saved me…Now you need to let me save you."

"Stop it!" the vampiress screamed, her jaw snapping at her boyfriend's neck. "It's your fault I'm in this living hell! All your fault and I will never forgive you!" Gently stroking his right hand through his lover's coarse, grizzly, blond hair, Justin closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her heartbeat.

"Can you hear that?" the young man whispered. "That's your heart. That's the heart your parents gave you and the heart you made for yourself. Just listen to it, please. Can you hear it?" Snarling, Juliet clenched her eyes shut, and heard a familiar sound. "It's _your_ heart, Juliet. You're the only one who can decide what you do with it…" Silence filled the room as the vampiress began to steady her body. "Remember why you chose to keep your heart all these years…Remember the person I was before you loved me. Remember everything we became when we loved each other."

Fighting back reality, Juliet began gasping sharply, trying to find a balance. The fire in her blood was slowly dwindling, and she felt weak. Gesturing to Max, Justin prepared himself to catch friend once the spell vanished. Slowly, Juliet dropped into her boyfriend's arms, her head turning to the side as her hair draped over her eyes. Her breaths calm and weary, the young woman felt peace return to her body, flowing like a warm bath all around her.

"Is she okay?" Max asked, walking towards his brother and friend.

"She still needs blood," Justin answered. "There's something missing from her…something more than just plasma. I don't know what's happening, but her body's starving."

Coughing, Juliet struggled to open her eyes, which were now weak, conscious, and a light red color. She was in control once more. "A-Alex," she choked out in a hoarse voice. "Need to find…Alex. She gave me her blood…but it wasn't her natural blood. She did something to herself…tried to stop her from leaving…"

"Where'd she go?" Justin asked, gently holding his lover's head on his leg.

Heavily exhaling, the vampiress raised her trembling finger towards the doorway. "Went to help someone…Couldn't stop herself…I couldn't stop her. I'm so sorry." Looking into his closest friend's eyes, Justin saw tears washing over Juliet's pupils: she was in a state of great pain and regret. "I'm so sorry."

"You're okay," Justin whispered, kissing his girlfriend's cold cheek. "You're okay. We'll find Alex. We'll make everything right. You're going to be okay."

"I'm coming with you," the young woman replied, attempting to force herself up. Justin gently laid his lover back down. "Justin, I have to go. She's my friend. I let her out…I owe this to her."

"You can't go out like this," Max replied. "Juliet, I know what it's like to fail someone…but you did everything you could: Alex knows that. You didn't let her down."

"I could've stopped her," Juliet realized, her words reduced to whispers. "…Please…Help me out of this. I need to feel the sun again…I need mana. But I can't get to it without your help. Please…it's the only way I can make up for what I did."

"The Bloodlust wasn't your fault," Justin replied, unsure of himself. "You didn't know what you were saying."

"Yes I did," the young woman replied, tears sliding down her cheeks once again. "Everything I did…All those horrible things I said…they're all inside of me. I tried so hard to keep them hidden…and now I have to do my penance for all that…For the monster inside me. Justin, you have to let me go. _I _need this. Alex needs us all."

Turning to Max, Justin realized what had to be done: the good of all had to outweigh his own fears and selfishness. Juliet knew what she was doing: she knew the risks. Max was brave enough to face the truth, as was Juliet. "…What do you need?" the eldest Russo sibling finally asked, willing to sacrifice everything.

Bursting through the door to Alex's room, Theresa, Jerry, and Harper felt arrows impale their hearts. "No," Harper gasped. The three ran to their loved one's side, praying they weren't too late.

"Wait," Alexandria begged, too weak to say anything above a faint whisper. Placing her hand once more over the wound, the young woman winced in pain as the spell healed her wound, turning her lost blood into vapor. Choking in heavy, grateful breaths free of pain or the sting of the blade, Alexandria smiled weakly, letting her head slowly turn to the side. Harper screamed as Theresa cried and held her little girl. Jerry, unable to handle himself, fell against the wall, sinking into a huddled position on the floor. Soon, all the sounds faded, and Alexandria found herself alone in a dark place. There was no light, but she could see herself perfectly. There was no feeling or hot or cold, no smell, no wind, and no sign of an end or sense of direction. Standing still, the young wizard looked around, only to find nothingness.

"Alex?" a familiar voice inquired. "Alex, is that you? I've been here for so long. I felt like you would never come back. But a part of me believed. I've missed you for so long."

Knowing the voice, Alexandria tried to find the source of that comforting voice. However, there was no direction in which the sound came from. "Mason?" the wizard asked, knowing with all her heart that it was her long-lost love.

"Yes," the English teenager answered, his tone innocent and kind. "I've been trying to find you every day…or whatever all this is. For so long, I thought you were gone. I kept walking, though. I knew you loved me, and that we'd never leave each other alone…So, I kept going forward." At last, the Lycanthrope came into sight, slowly walking towards his truest friend. No sign of the wolf that became him, Mason was pure. Like a child, his face, having suffered many tears, was relieved, glad, and kind.

"I've missed you," Alexandria replied, stepping towards the young man. "I'm so sorry…about everything."

"There's nothing to forgive, Alex," Mason warmly replied, a gentle smile forming on his face.

"Mason…that's not my name anymore," the young wizard replied, regret lacing her voice. "I'm Alexandria."

"What do you mean?" the young man asked, growing uneasy. "You're the same person I loved, aren't you?"

"I'm the only part of me anyone ever loved," Alexandria answered. "I made alot of mistakes, Mason. I did what I had to just to make up for it."

"What does that mean?" Mason inquired, shaking his head in confusion.

"I gave up a part of myself," the Latina answered, stroking a lock of hair away from her face. "I separated my being into my good and evil sides, and I tried to get rid of the loveless side of me. I'm a better person now."

"Evil side?" the young man repeated. "Alex…what part of you is evil?"

"Alex is evil," the girl answered. "I gave up everything that made me Alex. I'm a new person. I'm finally what I was always supposed to be. My name's Alexandria."

"Why'd you do that?" Mason asked, calming down.

"It had to be done," Alexandria answered. "It was the only way I could live with myself."

"But you did nothing wrong," the Lycanthrope replied, feeling his heart start to ache. "No one's perfect, but you always treated the world like a better place. You had faith in everyone…Even someone like me who didn't deserve it."

"You _do_ deserve it, Mason," the young woman argued. "But so many others didn't…Neither did I. I always thought I was the victim, until I figured out it was all my fault."

"None of this is your fault," the young man insisted. "Those people were cruel. You tried to help them. The only crime you committed was believing that everyone is good." Walking closer to his friend, Mason gazed into her eyes. "They hurt you so bad…and I'm so sorry I couldn't help you." Biting his lip, the boy began to sob once again.

"It's not your fault, Mason," Alexandria replied. "And no matter how many bad things people did to me…it doesn't excuse what I've done. This had to be done. I'm sorry for the parts of me you loved. I was wrong…You just believed in me."

"Alex…" Mason choked out.

"I'm Alexandria, Mason," the young woman sobbed, covering her mouth with her fist while trying to force down a massive lump in her throat.

"How do you see yourself?" the boy asked. "Can you paint it for me?"

"I don't paint anymore, Mason," Alexandria replied, slowly shaking her head. Her pain was growing.

"What?" the young man replied, his heart throbbing. "But you said painting and writing were your soul."

"Not anymore," the young woman whispered, her voice cracking and trembling as she tried to turn away from her old friend. "They can't be anymore."

"No, no, please," Mason begged, holding out his hands to embrace his love. However, he couldn't get close, though she was still. "I don't know you anymore…I loved _Alex_. I don't know this girl. Alex Russo would never abandon herself and run away, especially because of other people."

"I'm sorry, Mason," Alexandria answered. "I'm so sorry. This is the only way for me to be a good person." Unable to touch his lover, Mason hung his head down, his image shattering into shards of glass, which soon disappeared into the void. Her eyes blinded by a flood of sorrowful tears, Alexandria began gasping and choking, hating herself for all she had done and all she had lost. _You didn't abandon me, Mason, _she thought to herself. _I abandoned everything_.

Opening her eyes, Alexandria saw her family and friends standing around her. "Juliet," the young woman whispered. "Are you…"

"I'm going to be okay, Alex," the vampiress happily declared. "Thanks to all of you." Feeling a link of mana connecting her to Justin and Max, Juliet felt her body returning to strength. "But Alex…you have to tell them what you did."

Turning to Harper, Alexandria saw a hurt expression on her innocent face. "…Okay," the Latina agreed, no longer able to punish herself so brutally. "I'll tell you everything. But we have to move. Now. That thing is going to come back here, and everything is riding on us."


	6. Destiny

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Six: Destiny

"You're sure he's after The Lair?" Justin asked, trying to piece everything together.

"Yes," Alexandria answered, lowering her head in shame. "He said he wanted to see both worlds burn. And now, thanks to me, he has what he needs."

Silence fell over the group. Everything was becoming cold. "…What happened?" Harper finally broke the silence. "Juliet said you sealed it off to everyone but you." The vampiress turned to her friend, her expression urging the young woman to reveal everything.

Reluctant, Alexandria rose to her feet, clenching the remains of her wound. "I made alot of mistakes," she declared, staring at the floor. "I'm so sorry for everything…after everything that happened with Riley…I didn't feel like I had anything good left in me…So, I did something to save myself: To save all of you." Jerry stared intently at his daughter. "I kept it a secret because I thought it was the right thing to do…But you found out, Justin."

"Just enough to know you'd changed yourself," the young man answered, growing unsure of his choices. "I didn't know what to do."

"So you told Juliet," Alexandria concluded, harboring little resentment. "…You went behind my back, Justin. But I understand. Thank you, Juliet…for trying to help me. I'm so sorry I failed you. I left you alone to suffer. I should've…"

"You did what you could," Juliet replied, her hands cupped atop her lap. "You spared me as much pain as you could… But you need to tell them the whole story, Alex."

"It's Alexandria," the young wizard argued, her tone dry and laced with sorrow. "…I used a spell to separate myself into my good and evil halves. It was the only way I could redeem myself for what I'd done…For who I'd been." All was still for what felt like thousands of years. Theresa covered her face with her hands, lowered her seated posture, and sobbed heavily: Sobbing out of sorrow for her failures and what her daughter had done to herself. Max remained still and awestruck.

"So, that's it?" Harper demanded, slowly rising up. Anger fueled the redheaded young woman's usually calm, lightly shrill voice. "After everything…everything we went through…All the things you told me, and you still did something like this. You kept this a secret from me…"

"Harper," Alexandria gently pleaded. "You kept me at peace…No matter what, you're my best friend. You're my sister…_I_ made this decision. You did everything you could to help me. But _I_ had to help me." Harper remained staunch as the young wizard's voice began to crack and tremble, tears forming and burning in her eyes. "Harper, you didn't do anything wrong…I did this for myself. This is what I had to do to live with myself."

"Then who are you?" the redheaded girl replied, anger still in her voice. "Alex, you're not living with yourself…You ran away. You threw everything away. You were so afraid of yourself that you killed off a part of who you are. I tried so hard, but you wouldn't listen. Alex, I'm losing you…the only person I ever counted on. Now she's gone."

"But I'm still here," the young wizard persisted. "Harper, I'm still me…I only got rid of the bad parts. The person no one loves."

"There was no part of you we didn't love," Theresa declared, her voice trembling. "Alex, you've always been my little girl…how could you do this to yourself? To all of us?"

"Mom, that's not true!" Alexandria cried out. "I messed up! I messed up with everyone! I made mistakes, hurt people…I'm trying to stay your little girl…and Daddy's little princess."

"Not like this, Alex," Jerry refused. "You betrayed everything you ever were."

"Do you even paint or write anymore?" Justin added, fighting off his desire to break down crying. "Or are you hiding from that part of yourself, too?"

Turning away from the disappointed faces, Alexandria tightly crossed her arms, her face contorted into a tortured, defeated look of shame and sorrow. "Yes, I'm hiding from that part, Justin," she tearfully answered, her emotions forming anger within her. "Yes, I am scared of that part of me. Every single time I expressed myself, people hated me. No matter how good I thought it was, everyone used it against me. Yes, I am hiding from all that. I don't need you to force confessions out of me! And since when did you ever care?"

"…I've always cared about you," the Italian young man answered, his voice trembling. "And I thought you believed in yourself…not in the critics."

"Until I realized they were right," Alexandria replied. "Until I realized all of you were right! I always caused all of you pain. I don't even understand why you're still here with me."

"Because we love you, Alex," Harper answered. "And don't you dare try to tell us that's not your name. Alex, we forgave you for every little mistake you made. You forgave all of us, too. You always gave everybody a second chance but yourself. Don't you get that? You'll never be done punishing yourself for sins that aren't there!"

"Alex, you never let us down," Max finally stepped forward. "Whenever you made a mistake, you gave everything to make it better. You're a great big sister and friend. Yeah, you were never perfect, but neither were any of us. We're still not. And Alex, this doesn't make you a better person…It just means you hate yourself so much, you were willing to take away your entire life."

"Shut up!" Alexandria sobbed, her breaths growing frequent, loud, and constant. "All of you! Just shut up and leave me alone! I didn't mean to hurt anyone! I didn't do anything wrong this time. I was just trying to be good. I was just trying to…" Falling to her knees, the young woman began wailing and crying without control. Theresa crouched down beside her suffering daughter, gently holding her in her arms like when she was an infant. "I was just trying to…"

"Alex," Juliet exclaimed in a whisper, her heart breaking for her friend.

"Sssh," the mother whispered to her child, slowly stroking her hand on the top of her back. "Sssh. It's okay, angel. It's okay."

"Isn't this fuckin' wonderful," a cruel and vicious perversion of Alex's voice declared. Suddenly, all of the world seemed to grow colder. "Do you still love me, Mommy and Daddy?"

"Love is a lie," Gancanagh happily added, flaring out his fingers and thrusting everyone but Theresa and Alex against the walls. Max felt his leg smash the glass of Alex's window. Tightly holding her daughter, Theresa glared at the attackers. "Isn't that precious."

"Go to hell!" the Hispanic woman snarled, nearly spitting on the assailants.

"So shall we all," the monster replied. "All thanks to your little girl." The evil Alex smiled intently.

Touching her finger tips to her mother's shoulder, Alex rose onto her feet, pulling her wand from her boot. "Leave my family alone," she ordered.

"Don't you mean our family?" the dark side sneered, standing directly in front of her other half. Alexandria brandished her wand. "Whatter you going to do, little Alex? I have all your evil. I doubt you could take a life." Reaching out her arm, the beast clenched Alex's hand, breaking it almost without effort. Crying out in agony, the young woman dropped her wand and collapsed on the floor, tightly grabbing her wounded hand. Theresa attempted to comfort her daughter, hiding her own fear.

"Puniendum!" Justin's voice echoed as a massive blast of ruby-hued mana struck Gancanagh and the wicked form of Alex. Screaming in pain, the dark side smashed into the wall behind her, shattering a framed photograph, while the spawn of evil remained in place, feeling his skin singe. Standing bold, and aggressively pointing his wand towards the dark ones, Justin focused his eyes on the targets. "Get out of here, now!"

"Prideful after-birth," Gancanagh whispered, walking forward.

Slashing his ruby-crowned wand in all directions, Justin cried out with rage and strength like unto a lion. The bolts of mana faded upon contact with the demon until it reached its target. Clenching the teenager's face in his clawed hand, Gancanagh slowly tightened his grip, stabbing Justin's lower jaw and cheeks.

"Justin!" Theresa and Jerry cried out in horror.

"You don't scare me, bastard," Justin boldly declared, jutting his wand into the monster's ribs, causing a stabbing pain in its body.

"Just is the nature of the weak," Gancanagh declared, his eyes shining with their true, red energy. Clenching his claws into a complete fist, the monster felt the true nature of his attack.

Screaming in agony, Justin felt his entire soul-self shatter, sending a raging surge of pain through his entire body and numbing his spiritual side. Everything became quiet: All empathy making him one with nature was torn out of him, leaving him hollow and broken like a raw and rotting wound. Feeling a part of her break inside, Juliet felt the hunger overtake her body once more. Her eyes lacing over red, the vampiress flared out her claws as her fangs became exposed. Falling into an uncontrollable rage, the young woman screamed for her lover's great loss as her nerve endings began to burn.

"Please god, no," Alexandria whispered, her world slowly falling apart as well as her brother's. The break was overbearing, restricting the young wizard's movements. She felt her brother's pain, but could do nothing to help him. Knowing this, the evil side of Alex grabbed the crown of her other half's hair and pushed her face into the floor.

"You bastard!" Max screamed, focusing his energy into one thin, solid blast, which tore through the hollow space that once held Gancanagh's heart. The beast, taken by surprise, fell to his knees for a moment.

Turning towards her ally, the evil Alex heard an intense hissing from behind her, looking back to see Juliet plunge her fangs into her inner shoulder, drawing blood. Screaming, the wicked thing closed her eyes tightly. Tasting the dark blood, Juliet felt her senses return for an instant. "They're down!" she cried out. "He can't absorb energy like this!"

As time appeared to stand still, Alexandria rose to her feet, muttering a spell of healing upon her broken hand, her eyes on Justin, Harper, and her parents. "Center on him!" she ordered, projecting the light of her mana into Gancanagh's eyes, burning them. _You're the absolute evil, _the young woman told herself, remembering all the horrid things the monster had done. "Mom, run." Attempting to rescue the wounded, Theresa ran to her husband and Harper as they tried to move Justin's unconscious body away from the crossfire.

His emerald mana forming streaks of lightning, Max electrocuted the demon, leaving him vulnerable for the vampiress to get close to him. "You'll never take from anything again!" she screamed, slashing her claws down Gancanagh's throat and chest, severing his dark veins. Cut off from the mana of the world, the monster felt its body tighten with rage and its blood burn. In a flash of energy, the beast threw its attacker off, smashing her into Jerry's chest and bruising several of his ribs. Terrified for her family, Alexandria rushed to their care, unable to remain in battle.

"We have to get to The Lair!" the evil Alex declared, struggling to heal her near-gaping wound. "Now!" His primal nature growling, Gancanagh grabbed his ally and tenaciously ran out of the room with her, staggering forward before vanishing in a cloud of black smoke. As they rematerialized, Gancanagh fused his dark energy with Alex's dark side, healing her wound and brining a wicked, red glare to her corrupted eyes.

Max attempted to follow the two, only to hear his sister calling him back. He was needed here.

"Alex," Jerry whispered. "You, Max, and Juliet have to stop them. We knew the risks. You have to consider the good of everyone over ours."

Forcing herself to accept the decision, Alexandria finally nodded her head, whispering a spell of protection over her family and best friend. "Be safe," she wished. "I love you." Max and Juliet said the same before the vampiress kissed her suffering lover. Gathering together, the group closed their eyes and prayed for the strength they would soon need.

"_Transportium Nextorbitorium_," Alexandria recited, transporting Juliet, Max, and herself in front of the doorway into The Lair. Gancanagh and the evil Alex stood before their enemies. "You're not getting through that door."

"Wrong again, little girl," the beast mocked her pure side, her voice laced with a demonic undertone. "Kill them, but spare Alexandria. She hasn't paid her penance yet."

"If only your deaths could be eternal," the demon declared, flaring out his claws as he approached Max and Juliet.

"Like hell," Max declared, clenching his wand and readying a high-level spell his brother had taught him. Her rationality and humanity returned to her, Juliet prepared herself for another kill; the ultimate moral torture.

Slowly walking forward, Gancanagh licked his lips, already tasting the fatal blood in his mouth. The wicked Alex grabbed her opposite's shoulder, slowly digging her claws into it. "Do you wanna kill me?" she asked, tainted energy surging through her veins as she looked Alexandria in the eyes. "Or are you too good for that?"

"The world'd be a better place without you," the young wizard sharply answered, her sapphire mana forming a talon-like gauntlet over her hands as she threw her dark side off. "There's no reason for to live."

"Other than the fact that I'm you?" the beast scoffed, her face locked into a twisted smile: a corruption of the smile that greeted Harper, kissed Mason, and made her parents feel hope. "Won't Mommy and Daddy be upset that their baby girl's never coming home?"

Clenching her enchanted hands into fists, Alexandria thrust a right hook at her dark side, knocking its head to the side and causing a major bruise to form on her cheek bones. Continuing with a punishing left upper-cut that knocked the wicked thing backwards, the young wizard felt herself losing the will to go on, as well as faith in what she was doing.

"Juliet," Max said. "Get behind me." The vampiress did as instructed, knowing what was coming. Putting her hands on the boy's upper back, Juliet felt a part of her mana flowing out of her body. As Gancanagh struck downward with his bestial claws, Max and Juliet projected their light and strength into a massively wide blast, consuming the monster's entire body in emerald fire.

Crying out in agony, the demon cupped his bladed hands and slashed them outward like a drowning animal cutting through the tides, peeling four deep streaks of flesh from Max's left cheek, and knocking Juliet back. Sensing her loved ones' pain, Alexandria released her soul-self in the form of a bolt of mana, tearing through Gancanagh's physical and spiritual bodies: The darkness of a realm unseen burned the young woman's spirit like the very fires of hell. Darkness covered all there was, tainting it into nothingness, and it was cold. Man and Woman fell from Eden, the snake guided Lilith to her crestfallen lover, and evil happened. Roses wilted and died, leaving only lifeless black thorn lash. The sun became dark, and all stars died without light or hope. Opening her spiritual eyes within her physical self, Alexandria gasped in pain and terror. In that instant, the young wizard realized the evil her dark self had become a part of. "You monster!" she screamed, tackling her wicked side as Max and Juliet converged on Gancanagh, Max's power blinding him as the vampiress drove her fist into the monster's stomach. The impact caused the demon to fall against a metal cabinet, tearing it in half. Unrelenting, Juliet leapt forward, driving her feet into Gancanagh's chest and breaking one of his ribs.

"How could you do this?" Alexandria screamed, repeatedly punching her dark side with both hands, causing several bleeding scratches and the blackening of the beast's left eye. "How could you help him when it means taking all those lives?"

"Like this," the perversion of Alex's voice replied from behind the young wizard. A blow to the side of the head with a black, twisted version of Alexandria's wand knocked her off of the pale imitation, the crown of her head smashing into a floor tile. Running towards The Lair, the evil thing placed her hands atop the seal, absorbing its power and causing it to vanish. "Only Alex Russo could get through. Too bad you decided to sever her." Entering The Lair, Alex's dark side used her tainted energy to project a bolt of her solid essence into Juliet's back, causing a small section of her flesh to burst open, scattering splashes of blood into the air and throwing her onto the ground, forcing her to let out a shriek of sharp, stabbing pain. Smelling the salts in the room, Gancanagh clenched the vampiress' head and dragged her weakened body into The Lair, dodging Max's blasts of mana. The evil Alex released waves of force from her hands, shattering glass vials of potions, heirlooms, family gems, and crystal balls as she carelessly proceeded.

"Let her go!" the boy screamed, struggling to remember lethal curses that could bring his enemy to his knees.

"Be gone, child," the demon ordered, waving his arm away, causing a blast of force to throw the youngest Russo sibling through a wooden wall, knocking him into the Sub Station.

Before blacking out, Max looked out the window to see fading images of deformed creatures raiding the streets. "Where are they…" he choked out, letting his heavy eye lids close.

Approaching a cabinet enchanted with vampire salts, Gancanagh lifted Juliet higher off the ground until her feet dangled. Clenching at her throat, the vampiress groaned and hissed, trying to escape. Remaining in control, the demon bashed Juliet's face against the cabinet, the salts burning the tips of her nerve endings. Screaming in pain, the young woman's true voice broke through: she was vulnerable and suffering.

Her head throbbing and pounding, Alexandria forced herself onto her bloodied feet and charged into The Lair. "Stop it!" she screamed, projecting a blast of fiery sapphire mana at the demon.

"Not this time, mortal," Gancanagh scoffed, his claws tearing through the energy. Juliet remained in her torturous position, pushing against the enchanted wood and burning her hands in an effort to pull her eyes from the stinging heat.

The dark energy of the demon shining through her eyes and lacing her hands, the evil Alex phased herself halfway into the doorway to the Magical Realm, clenching the anti-matter layer and ripping it from its stained glass setting. The mental image of a key forged of solidified blood burned within the beast witnessed the gateway close, separating The Lair from the Magical Realm and shattering the nexus between worlds.

"And they said you were the chosen one," Gancanagh muttered, digging its claws into Juliet's skull.

Forcing her eyes shut, Alexandria released a growing, circular blast of mana, filling the entire room with a blinding light that burned the evil ones. Forcing her strength into her legs, Juliet kicked back with enough force to break herself free from the monster's grasp. Blindly searching for Gancanagh, the evil Alex finally felt its skin under her fingers and teleported herself and her ally away from the area with the anti-matter. Falling to her knees, her entire body weak and drained of all energy, Alexandria felt the smoke of her exhausted mana drift from her eyes and mouth, her breath heavy.

Staggering out of The Lair, Juliet made her way towards Max, lifted him and held him in her arms, and carried him back into the ruins that once served as a haven for the Russo family. Soon, Jerry, Theresa, and Harper brought Justin down the stairs with his siblings and lover. Silently coming to witness their great losses, the group formed a circle, shutting the door to The Lair behind them. Sorrow, pain, and loss filled the air as the wounded and the broken slowly awoke, their bodies throbbing, bleeding, and drowning in the stench of failure.

_The war's over: Everybody lost_


	7. Darkest Hour

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Seven: Darkest Hour

_The unknown distance to the Great Beyond_

_Stares back at my grieving frame._

Her body still weak from the assault, Alexandria rested her back against the wall of The Lair, her long hair streamed downward behind her head, trying to put her racing mind to rest. Justin had isolated himself in the corner as soon as his strength, though fleeting, returned. Locked into a fetal position, the eldest of the Russo siblings kept his head buried behind his knees and hands, not daring to look into the light of the world that slowly evaded him.

_To cast my shadow by the holy sun,_

Despite a minor healing spell from his sister's frail mana, Max felt a slight sting as Theresa cleaned and dressed the claw marks upon his face. Jerry looked over the shards of shattered glass that were once an insight into the world, unable to speak or show emotion.

_My spirit moans with a sacred pain._

Her flesh slowly healing, Juliet sat still, staring at her suffering lover, though she struggled to see him as the same person. Harper stared at the floor, feeling powerless and soaked in what felt like survivor's guilt. Outside, the sun showed little sign of ever rising. That didn't seem to matter, though. All the attacks had stopped, leaving only shattered memories and broken lives in their wake.

_It's quiet now…_

Clenching her left hand, Alex felt a haze coating her mind. She had failed all those people. Thousands had died, and the only ones who could protect them were hopeless. Her body aching down to her muscles, the young wizard sat still like a sick child void of sleep. Her soul was weighed down as her reality grew darker.

Trapped in the unbearable numbness that confined him like an iron body cast, Justin felt his mind race, forcing him to endure all the vicious memories of his losses, all he'd fought and trained for, the part of him he always held the most dear that was stolen from him: no part of him survived the attack.

_The universe is standing still._

Max looked at his siblings in their pain and doubt, trying to let their pain as well as the stitches take his mind off his own failure; having stood on the front-line and made no difference. In the end, he was beaten down like a powerless child.

Juliet dug her nails into her arms, remembering the animal inside that overpowered her. The brutality forced from her own flesh and blood was agonizing to think about. Above all, she lost herself and couldn't save her loved ones.

_There's nothing I can say._

_There's nothing we can do now._

_There's nothing I can say._

_There's nothing we can do now…_

As children, Alex, Justin, and Max ran alongside their parents through Central Park, laughing and playing under the trees. Everything was simple then. Every story had a happy ending.

_And all that stands between the soul's release…_

_Is temporary flesh and bone._

_Know that it's over now._

Suddenly, Alexandria felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder, urging her to wipe away her cold, stale tears and look up. "Hey," Harper said, her voice little more than a whisper. "Mind is I sit down next to you?"

Trying so hard not to show her pain, the Latina snuffed back and whispered, "Yeah," while nodding her head up and down. Slowly and carefully, Harper sat down beside her best friend, kindly putting her arm around her shoulders. "Harper," Alexandria sobbed, her red, swollen, eyes shrouded by a natural shadow, her face blood-red in hue, and her mouth lined with streams of saliva that nearly gagged her. "I am so sorry…for all of this. I never meant to hurt any of you…I never wanted to hide anything from you…but I've felt so horrible about myself. I felt like…I don't know. Like…you deserved someone better. All of you. So, I thought about running…taking all your pain away. But I couldn't do that…" Taking in a deep, trembling breath, the young woman turned her glance towards the floor. "I couldn't let you go…so I tried to be a better person. I tried to…to get away from the memories. I couldn't save Mason, I did those things with Riley…I let everybody down. I thought if I gave up all the vices, maybe I could be a worthwhile person again. I didn't do this to hurt any of you. I just wanted to hurt myself."

Wiping a tear from her eye, Theresa tried to control her desire to break down crying. Her little girl was suffering: she'd lost faith in everything. "Mi-hija," the woman finally said, fighting to see through her burning tears. "You could never be anything other than our little angel. You have always been worthwhile. You've always been loved, and we'll love you forever."

"We know you've been unhappy," Jerry added. "But you can't give up."

"Yeah, Alex," Max said, walking towards his big sister. "That call wasn't ours to make. I don't think any less of you, sis. And I don't think anyone else does, either."

"I know you've been hurt alot," Harper told her closest friend. "But there are still good people in the world…and you're still a good person, Alex. One mistake won't change that…But it doesn't matter what we say: _You_ have to be the one to forgive yourself. You've forgiven all of us…now's the time to redeem who you are."

"You've always been a true friend, Alex," Juliet added, sitting beside her two spiritual sisters. "Don't forget that." As Alexandria stared at the ground, her heart beating with relief for the first time in so long, all the other eyes turned to Justin.

His face frozen in agony, the eldest of the Russo children stared back at his family and friends through hot, tear-filled eyes. Mustering all of his diminished strength, the young man limped to the side of his sister and warmly embraced her. "We all love you, Alex," he gently declared. "And so did you. You were always the best of us because you believed in what you did and who you were. You always knew how to make things okay for Max and me."

Silence filled the ruins of The Lair as Alex struggled to find herself among the stars once again. Her eyes closed, the young woman took in a deep breath through her nose. "…It's my call," she realized. "On who I am…Mason's never coming back, and Riley couldn't care about anything but himself…" _Holding the barrel of the pistol to her forehead, a younger Alex gave her confession as her hands trembled. Sleeping in an unmade bed with a torn photograph under the pillow, Alex remembered looking up and seeing the stars. Sitting on the couch in The Lair with Juliet to her far right, Justin standing between the two, Max under her arm to the left, Mason behind the younger Russo children, Theresa and Jerry behind their sons and daughter, and Harper knelt down by Alex's side, the camera flashed an image to be cherished from now to eternity. _"Juliet, I'm sorry for the pain you went through…Justin…I am so, so sorry for what you lost." Her last word becoming a choking sob, the young woman placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, trying to bring him solace. "Max…I'm sorry I forgot who we were. Mom and Dad…I forgive you for what happened, and I'm sorry I chose that instead of my family. That's a choice I won't exploit again. And Harper…" The redheaded young woman looked deeply at her friend. "Thank you…for always being my friend. For always taking the pain away. For always remembering who I really was. I love you all…and I swear I'm going to make this right."

"It's not too late to stop them," Justin declared, holding his wand and staring into a solid, lifeless crystal at its tip. "The Elders said that this is where we make our own destiny."

"But we don't even know what their plan is," Max replied, secretly begging for an answer.

"…I do," Alexandria realized, her true mind returning to her physical and spiritual self. "I can't feel her anymore, but my other self knew. She was going to stand beside him as…"

"As what?" Theresa asked.

"…As they brought hell to earth," the young woman answered, deeply troubled. "That's what they needed the portal for. But why would he come here? How would he even know about us?"

"Maybe it has to do with that 'chosen one' comment the demon mentioned," Juliet coined, recalling each painful moment she had to endure. "Maybe there's something bigger going on that we don't know about."

"Why would they keep that from us, though?" Max replied.

"I don't know," Alexandria answered. "But I don't think we have time to find that out. Look outside…I can feel the sky bleeding over." Using a transparency spell, the young woman revealed the blood-red morning sky to her family. The sun was blocked by clouds as its light became corrupted.

"Oh, god," Justin whispered in shock.

"Where are they?" Juliet asked, her heart pounding. Fear and desperation filled the air as everything fell to Alex.

"…I don't know," the young wizard confessed. "I can't feel my other side at all…she's too far gone. Dad, can we use the crystal ball to pinpoint them?"

"They all shattered," Jerry remorsefully answered. "We're flying blind."

"Then it's all over?" Justin declared. "Our secret's out, we're severed from the Magical Realm, and everything we've gone through is nothing. Where do we go from here?"

"Justin," Juliet exclaimed, her lover's image finally shattered in her eyes. "What the hell's happened to you? This isn't the boy I fell in love with."

"Maybe he died when everything else did," the young man snapped, his anger overwhelming him. "…Maybe he took too many losses."

"Enough!" Theresa broke down, slapping her eldest son for the first time in her life. For a moment, everything fell silent. "I didn't raise you like this, Justin. And if there's anything I'm _damn_ tired of, it's my children acting like magic runs their lives. There's more to you than that…there's more to all of you."

"You're right," Alexandria replied, glancing at her older brother. "You're not broken, Justin. We _will_ find a way to give you your powers back…but you have to remember who you really are. If they take that from you, the bad guys really have won."

Looking towards Max, Justin found himself confronted by a firm nod of agreement. "…Okay," the young man finally accepted. "Juliet, I'm sorry. Please…don't let me go."

"I wouldn't be much of a friend if I did, Justin," the vampiress answered, kissing her boyfriend on his forehead. However, each of them could tell something was missing between them.

_Now I'm the one who has to snap out of all this, _Alex told herself, trying to gather energy from the world around her. "It's getting darker," she declared. "But I think I can find her…It can't be too late. The mana in the air is dying…I'm gonna need help from all of you." Beginning with Max and Harper, each member of the extended family linked hands with Alex. Justin was the last, but his grasp was firm. Each one of them was willing to give everything they had left for one final try: One final act of hope. Fearfully closing her eyes, Alexandria reached deep inside herself, encompassing the person she now was before recalling her true self. The connection was slowly fading, and there was so much pain. However, for the sake of everyone, Alex once again passed through the darkness: Mason's bestial transformation and the blood he shed, Riley as his embrace became sexual, the inability to look her parents in the eyes for so long, and all the love and happiness that was slipping from her heart. Wincing in pain, the young woman forced herself to remain strong, knowing she was her family's only hope. Diving into the twisted shadows and delusions, Alexandria found her dark side's brutality and wicked dreams. Clenching her fists until blood was drawn, the young wizard felt herself experience forced Empathy with her dark side. Their eyes merging into a single entity, Alex became whole for a moment before everything shattered, sending her into a screaming fit. The family falling apart, Alexandria opened her eyes to find herself divided once more. "I know where they are," she declared, knowing she would never be able to share sight with the other part of herself ever again. Harper took her friend's hand once more, sharing her pain. "They're in Pisa," Alexandria declared, her voice grave. "That's where it began… And that's where it's going to end." _She's not me anymore._


	8. Omnibus

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Eight: Omnibus

"With the appearance of supernatural beings, the world has fallen into a state of chaos," a female news anchor announced as scattered images of riots and cultist rituals played out behind her. "Some groups have come forward with statements stating that this is the coming of the apocalypse. Reports of demons are running rampant. Casualties are massive, as are suicide rates and collateral damage."

"We have to go now," Max declared. "Alex, do you have enough power to transport us there?"

"Max, we can't take everyone," Alexandria explained. "It's too dangerous. You, Juliet, and I are the only ones who can fight them. The three of us have to go alone." Despite his sister's best efforts, Justin heard her, and clenched his fist in agonized rage.

"We're not just going to sit by while you go after them," Theresa replied. "You're just kids."

"Mom, no we're not," Alexandria gently argued. "Max and I have our full powers, and Juliet knows how to use her vampirism against them. Max and I will always need you and Dad…but you have to let us go now. We'll be okay." Harper took her friend's hand, her fear growing. "We'll be okay," Alexandria gently repeated.

Stopping her husband from stepping forward, Theresa gazed into Jerry's eyes, assuring him what they were doing was right. "No matter what happens," the Italian man declared. "We love you. And Juliet…I'm glad you came into our lives."

"Thank you for always being my family," the vampiress answered with a smile. "I'll protect them."

"We'll protect each other," Max added.

"And so will I," Justin stepped forward, catching Harper's eye.

"But Justin, your…" Alexandria began, fearing for her big brother's own safety.

"My soul-self is dead," the young man interrupted with a heavy heart. "But I'm not. There's still mana inside of me…and I still have a soul. We're stronger when we're together, and I'm not letting you guys go without me. I'll find a way, Alex…But I'm going to need all of you." For once in his life, Justin felt his limits but found a new strength. "Fight as one?"

"Fight as one," Alex, Max, and Juliet agreed, joining hands with the wizard. The vampiress gazed into her lover's eyes, giving him strength and comfort.

"We'll find you," Jerry promised. "When all this is over, we'll be by your side…all of you."

"We promise, you guys," Harper assured her friends.

"We'll find a way," Theresa assured the group.

"Thank you," Alexandria prayed, showing her mother, father, and sister one last smile. "Until then, be safe." Closing her eyes, the young woman cast a spell of protection over her family before turning to her battle allies. "Justin…find yourself."

Closing his eyes and nodding in agreement, Justin broke through the fog and once more felt his soul. The mana was strong, waiting for him to reclaim it. Once more, the blessing of magic began to flow through the young man's veins, healing his wounds and restoring hope within him. "I've found it," a young Justin Russo declared, touching upon his gift for the first time.

Holding one another tightly, Alexandria, Max, Juliet, and Justin bid their family one last goodbye, and then focused their energies on themselves and their allies. "_Apparition!_" they called out in harmony, causing their physical forms to vanish as they became ethereal, spiraling into the air in a time/space-shattering vortex. Moving beyond the speed of light, the group watched the world beneath them cascade and shift in its form, glow, and sound. All the lights of thousands of cities flashed by like a rainbow of fireworks in the night's sky. Time no longer existed as the spiritual beings flowed and turned as naturally as the wind. One by one, the group found themselves laughing like children. For one moment, everything was sound and at peace.

Suddenly, their merging bodies collided with an unseen and immovable bolt, shattering their form and scattering their separate bodies onto the cold, wet, brick ground, their senses blurred and warped. Crying out, Alex and Justin struggled to stand as they saw a row of human-shaped entities clad in black cloaks that became illuminated with blood-red symbols running up the sides and sleeves. Their eyes cloaked in shadow, the humans appeared heavily scarred, as if the symbols they worship had been carved into their flesh, branded with images of grotesque creatures and horrific ritual scenes, or tattooed with ancient prophecies. Their arms were laced with heavy golden chains and their aged fingers had become deformed to resemble the talons of a hawk. Their scarred or lipless mouths remained shut, every breath silent.

Vomiting onto the ground, Max forced himself onto his hands and knees until Juliet lifted him to his feet and behind her body. Alex and Justin stood beside their allies. Together, the four remained bold and stoic. "The Gorog," Alexandria declared, her voice laced with anger and distrust.

"They look like high-priests," Justin concluded. "What the hell do you want?"

"In the service of our master, we want for nothing," a male priest croaked. "Our destiny is to protect he who has entrusted us with his life."

"Gancanagh?" Alexandria replied. "Is he the one you worship?"

"The entire family has our devotion," a sickly-sounding man answered. "And in this, his finest hour, we shall serve him well and be welcomed into his new world."

"At long last," an elderly woman added, her voice lightening with the false promises given to her and her allies.

"Whatever that _thing_ promised you, he'll betray it," Juliet exclaimed, her voice strong and bold.

"The corrupted blood persists to blaspheme against our lord," one of the high-priests angrily declared. The cultists linked hands, their energies becoming one, and released a storm of jagged and dark mana upon the vampiress, enflaming all of her nerve endings and bringing her to her knees. Hit by a jagged bolt, Max clenched his pounding heart.

Preparing a lethal assault on the Gorog, Justin helped his lover onto her feet as Alex comforted her little brother. His eyes tightening, the young man readied his targets. _The regime's over, assholes, _he declared to himself.

"You're not the only ones he pretended to care about," Alexandria cried out. "It's not too late to walk away from all this." Justin glared at his sister. _They don't deserve to walk away, _he said, desperately trying to reach Alex. "…If he has his way, no one's gonna be spared. You're just pawns to him. There won't be any reward for what you're doing."

"I don't think that matters anymore, Alex," Juliet replied, noticing the unchanged expressions on the high-priests' faces.

"You shall all burn," a gruffly-voiced man declared, reaching out his arms as if to guide the rising flames of a fire. "If not by our hand, then the hand of our master. All that you love will be crushed."

"Everything you've fought for will turn to ash," a shrill-voiced woman added.

"All you know will be destroyed," the Gorog chanted in harmony, uniting their fury once more. "No more mercy. No forgiveness. No more chances. Kill the wicked ones. Kill the weak. Burn the worthless. Let our master's time begin as our enemies end." The room began to darken: the lights dying, the air slowly growing hotter, and the smell of burning flesh rising. Looking down, Alex, Juliet, Max, and Justin saw the symbols of their enemy form in fire under their feet.

"Alex," Max called out, his fear growing. "We have to end this. It's not a choice anymore."

"Let's hope it's that simple," the young woman replied, holding out her wand for Max and Justin to unite with. _Let this be quick and true._

As the Gorog's chanting grew louder, the air began to burn, blurring Alex's vision. Tapping into her vampiric blood, Juliet flared out her wings, lifting herself into the air before flapping them forward, creating a small storm that hindered the spread of the flames. Recognizing their opening, the Russo siblings united their mana, forming a single orb of magical force. Their minds and souls united once more by the last spell their father taught them, the three teenagers released a blast of pure, devastating mana that smothered the unholy flames and consumed the Gorog in a blinding orb of growing light. Within an instinct, the high-priests screamed and shed their false skin: their horrific, dust-ridden bones becoming exposed and turning to ash in the presence of goodness. Her nose bleeding, Alexandria fought to maintain her energy as Juliet, her sensitive eyes nearly blinded by the light, cloaked herself within her wings. Justin's body trembled, his vision becoming blurred while Max's eyes began to water, his body throbbing. Once the light began to dim, Juliet flared out her bat-like wings once more, creating a wind storm that scattered the ash and destroyed all that was left of the Gorog. Dropping all their burdens, Justin, Alex, and Max felt their bodies lighten as they lowered themselves onto the ground. Her wings vanishing, Juliet came to the aid of her friends. Alex held her hand over her eyes, struggling to make the brutality her and her brothers witnessed okay in her remorseful mind. Hearing his sister's sobs, Max walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders until she was able to stand on her own. Leaning his weight against Juliet, Justin felt his weak legs attempt to maintain their balance.

"Alex," Juliet gently declared, moving closer to her friend. "We have to go. We have to finish this."

Quickly stroking her hands over her eyes, Alexandria snuffed back her pain and attempted to regain her composure. "I know," she answered, running her fingers back to get the locks of hair out of her face. "I'm okay. Thanks, Maxi." Kissing her little brother on the forehead, Alexandria remembered the time they snuck out on Max's thirteenth birthday to watch a new movie at the theater. Alex and Max snuck out that night: not Alexandria.

"Let's go," Max said, pretending to rub off his sister's kiss.

The group joined their energies one more time, and found themselves soaring and spinning through great storms of wind and rain and thunder and lightning in a blackened sky. Looking down at the world below, the group witnessed demons charging through the streets. Screams of pain sounded through the air and sky, but there was nothing that could be done: Gancanagh and the evil Alex were the source, as they all knew. _Stop them and we stop all this,_ Justin's thought echoed through the collective consciousness of all those in the vortex. _So much pain…_ Beyond the clouds, the sky was drenched in blood-red anti-light.

"They're coming," the entity once connected to Alex declared, her green, feline eyes opening and gazing up at the sky. The dark void that was her heart flowed with tainted mana as her other side drew closer. "Start the machine." The evil Alex's claw-like hands clenched into fists, her skin stained with streaks of pure darkness almost resembling webs.

"I do not take orders from you," Gancanagh declared, his dark essence connecting with the energy flowing through the golden construct at the center of the Tower of Pisa. "May this world run red with the blood of all those who would defy us." A massive wave of corrupted red mana expelled from the machine, consuming the sky in profound darkness. "The vampiress will suffer for what she stole from me." Unable to feel the dying world around him, the demon tapped into the mortals vanishing and suffering mortals around him. "And behold, I shall become a blight upon this world, and all I touch shall wither and die."

One by one, all those without the blood of wizards began to choke on the air that once nurtured them. Men, women, and children clenched their throats as their mana was torn from their bodies. Blood painted the streets and walls as the casualties grew. Bones snapped and broke, innocents screamed, and the wizards of the world found themselves helpless: With all their powers and blessings, there was nothing any of them could do as their loved ones suffered, begging for their help, their love, their promises, or just for them to use their gifts one last time. One last time. Many wizards rendered themselves deaf or blind when faced with their own apparent uselessness. As the stars began to dim, a statue of a young woman once known as Stevie Nichols began to tremble. All those who were able sent their children to the Magical Realm, following only if there was time.

"The skies are turning to blood!" an anchorman declared, his mind becoming overwhelmed with fear.

"Rays of lights are radiating from the Leaning Tower of Pisa," a perspiring newswoman announced. "Any attempts to reach the building have been met with death and devastation." The screen cut to the rough and shaking footage of a shoulder-mounted camera as a team of reporters charged towards the tower, only for the leaders to be turned to ash before the camera cut to static. "All countries across the world are being advised to lockdown any and all buildings and for all residents to immediately take shelter in any available location."

Protected by Alex's blessing, Theresa, Jerry, and Harper held one another's hand within the isolated structure of The Lair. Outside, the world quaked. _Theresa held Alex's little hands as the little girl tried to walk for the first time. Justin held his baby brother, Max for the first time while sitting on Jerry's lap. As Jerry, Theresa, Juliet, Justin, Max, Harper, and Mason sat together on the couch, Alex painted the scene on a canvas. Arranging shards of photographs both old and new, the young woman constructed a picture of herself and the rest of her family together. Harper and Alex ran through the hallway, slipped through the door to the art classroom, and spent the whole night inside the school, painting and drawing together. For so long, everything was right._

As their destination neared, Alex, Justin, Juliet, and Max joined their spiritual hands in prayer. _This can't be happening, _Max exclaimed, feeling a panic attack starting to flare up inside of him. _We're going to stop them, Max, _Justin replied, his voice bold. _We need to do more than that, _Alex declared. _The world knows, and we have to be the ones to show them that we're on their side. We have to astonish them._ At last, the tower came into sight, and the teenagers felt their hearts pound, their stomachs aflame with tension, horror, and the burden of saving all they knew. _I love all of you, _Juliet said, trying to let her mind escape. _We'll always be one, _Alexandria replied, sharing a part of herself with her friend. At last, the group found themselves standing side-by-side within the confines of the pillars atop the structure.

"Oh my god," Justin whispered at the horror before him. Death and chaos reigned upon the land. The center of evil stood directly in front of the family.

Gazing at her dark side, Alexandria saw the beast's ugliness; her terrible beauty and all of her sins. Smiling an unholy smile, the wicked thing revealed her fangs. "What's wrong, little girl?" the evil Alex mocked, slowly walking closer to those she once called her family. "Don't you like me? Don't you love me? Don't you think I'm just like you?"

"You're not a part of me anymore," Alexandria snarled, taking in all the pain and fear that had been spread to her once peaceful world. Pulling her wand from her boot, the young woman aimed her gem at the evil ones before her. "If it takes my last breath, I _swear_ I will stop you."

Stepping forward, Gancanagh, still wearing the shroud of a young man named Dominic, looked into Alexandria's eyes. "You can't stop us," he declared. "You are all just as weak as those around you. There is no more use for your kind."

"Then why can't your machine hurt us?" Max scoffed, bold and unafraid.

"Because I have use of the self-proclaimed protectors of the twin realms," the demon answered. "The wizards shall fall, and their bloodlines shall give birth to the true order: the order my mother bestowed upon me…The order your kind robbed this world of. The vermin were never meant to rule. It is your nature to serve and die."

Focusing all that remained of his power, Justin released a bolt of mana, stabbing through Gancanagh and shattering a part of the column behind the monster. Unharmed by the blast, the demon lunged forward, running towards Justin with his claws brandished. Max ran forward with his wand out, only to find himself thrown aside by Gancanagh, smashing his back into a pillar. Juliet flared out her wings, tearing through the wind and striking the monster's eyes, attempting to gouge them out. "Now!" she cried to her lover. Justin clenched his wand as he charged forward. Stabbing the ruby-colored gem into the creature's body, the young man released his mana in the form of a growing streak of lightning, tearing through Gancanagh's shoulders, chest, and eyes. The monster's wounds began to drain out, discharging thick, black streams of blood. Screaming, the demon thrust out his hands, knocking Justin and firmly grasping Juliet's throat, slowly crushing her wind pipe. "You…" he snarled, gritting his teeth. "…Took the world from me. Now, I will make you suffer until you beg for death."

"Go to hell," Juliet choked out, digging her claws into Gancanagh's hand. Laughing at the sentiment, the demon tightened his grip, cutting off oxygen to his victim's body.

"You'll burn for this!" Max screamed, unable to control his anger. Thrusting his hand forward, the boy released a blast of emerald energy from his wand, setting the demon on fire upon contact. With every passing second, the fire grew larger, the flames digging deeper and deeper into the monster's flesh. "Drop her! Now!"

Tightening its eyes, Gancanagh smashed Juliet into the ground, cracking and damaging the stone, picked her up by her hair, and threw her at Max, knocking them both against the pillars. "You failed to protect your love," the demon exclaimed, slowly walking towards Justin. "I've crippled your wings, broken your home, and taken your world: It would bring me pleasure to leave you alive long enough to mourn, but I have found great disgust with your kind. I shall grant you one final mercy…death." Clenching the young man's face within the palm of his hand, Gancanagh threw Justin from the building, intent on hearing the wizard's bones crumble upon hitting the earth below as he walked towards the machine.

Unable to speak, Juliet held out her shaking hand in a futile attempt to reach out to her lover. His mana still weak from the fire, Max closed his eyes and prayed.

"Justin, no!" Alexandria screamed, readying a spell to save her older brother. Feeling her aching hand being smashed, the wizard cried out, dropping her wand and falling to her knees. Knowing her brother was soon to die, Alexandria felt a part of her heart shattering. "This is all your fault!" she screamed, lunging at her reflection and tackling her.

Feeling his weak and damaged body plunging downward, Justin closed his eyes, remembering his family and loved ones: Remembering how magic first came into his life, and the bond it gave him with the world around him. Prepared and willing to die, the young man opened his eyes just in time to feel to feel the embrace.

All was silent. Clenching her fist, Alexandria drove her arms into her wicked side's face, suffering through the raw, burning nerves around her broken hand. Laughing like a fiend, the beast endured each blow, letting her dark blood stream from her growing wounds. "You've ruined everything!" Alexandria screamed, hot, burning tears blinding her and streaming down her face as she relentlessly beat the evil, ugly thing before her. "I hate you! I hate everything you are! You're not me anymore! You don't deserve to live!"

"But you're the one who gave me this life," the wicked girl replied, keeping a smile on her bloodied and bruised face, revealing her fangs and letting the dark matter grow upon her flesh. "You left me with all the shit _you_ couldn't handle." Holding herself back for a second, Alexandria gazed into the eyes of her dark side. Suddenly, the young wizard felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her leg as dark matter slowly flowed into her veins. Shrieking in agony, Alexandria was powerless as her dark side threw her off. Pulling out her wand, the evil thing prepared a killing force.

"You can't do this," the young woman begged, unable to stand. "Look at all the pain. So many people are dying because of what you've done." Licking her lips, the evil Alex pulled a dagger from her boot and impaled her pure side through her right bicep, pinning her to the stone floor. Yelling through her gritted teeth, Alexandria clenched her eyes shut, trying to escape the pain.

"You know what the world's really like," the wicked thing replied, readying herself to finally kill the person that brought her into her hellish existence. "It took everything from us. It made us hate ourselves. Then it threw us away no matter how much we tried to make everything right! And you're just like all of them. You abandoned me…just like Mason. Just like Riley. You left me alone to die just so you could live with yourself! But you don't get to win that easily, Alex."

"Every second we waste our time," Alexandria choked out, her anger slowly fading as she saw the poor little girl in pain: The poor little girl that was once her. "More and more people die…is that what you want? For our friends and family to suffer like we did?"

"I don't have any friends!" the evil Alex screamed. Her rage becoming sorrow, the wicked thing felt herself grow blind with burning tears. "Everyone's always hated me…" Looking into the helpless eyes of the pure, innocent young woman she once was, Alex's dark side felt all that she had lost. "I'm done feeling that pain."

"And you think all this'll make it go away?" Alexandria fought back. Gancanagh's only going to betray you once he gets what he wants. You of all people should see through him. He's just like Riley…He never cared about either of us."

Hovering above her enemy, the evil reflection of Alex Russo began to question what she was doing. Gripping her wand, the young woman tasted death in the back of her throat, regretting everything she now had to live without. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the evil sorceress, knocking her on her back. Shooting her head back, Alexandria saw Justin walking forward, his eyes glowing with his own ruby mana. Electricity flowed around his hands. "Justin!" the young woman cried out, struggling to her feet and approaching her brother. Max and Juliet felt their hearts skip a beat as the eldest Russo child stood strong once more.

"Like an act of God, a group of heroes have emerged to fight the monster threatening us all!" the female news anchor happily declared, never having abandoned her station during the attacks. "Witnesses reported lights from the sky, just when all hope seemed lost."

Alex, Justin, Max, and Juliet stood beside one another, forming a wall before Gancanagh and the wounded reflection. "You took everything from me," Justin declared. "But the earth found me again." Still suffering from the loss of his Empathy with the world around him, the young man knew he now had power from the elements: the mana of the earth now filled his body entirely.

"All meaningless," the demon declared. "All of you." Gazing down at the broken thing that once served him, Gancanagh spat.

"…You…" Alex's dark side choked. "You said we would control them…Take back everyone and everything that we lost."

"My race is destined to rule over all those who oppose us," Gancanagh declared. "Your diseased kin believed that their magic saved them…as they slaughtered all those with common blood to my mother and father, they grew more and more desperate to justify themselves. The so-called wizards were never more than a cancer. The Elders' lies have kept posterity for millennia, but you cannot hide from what you truly are: a gateway." His body now flowing with the unholy lights of the machine, the demon spread his arms as if guiding the rising flames of a wicked fire, and absorbed the spiritual energy of all those blessed with magic and its gifts. Feeling their essence being torn from their bodies, the wizards collapsed onto the ground.

Stabbing bursts of white-hot energy tearing through their physical and spiritual bodies, Alex, Max, Justin, and Juliet, rendered without breath, found themselves lying helpless, gazing into the bleak sky as a star called Wormwood burst with the energy from the machine. From the supernova, a massive void began to spread, shrouding the world in an unholy breath of red fire. All the stars became dark, cities were reduced to waste, and nightmares became reality. Gasping and choking, the enchanted ones watched visions of horror unfold: humans died over and over again without going to their rest, blood rained down from the darkened skies, and atrocities were birthed. Images of a creature resembling the Vitruvian man standing in a wheel composed of its own gore, bone, and muscle fibers, which was fused to its finger tips and four feet. Blood stains coated its emaciated body and four partially cleaved arms. Several beings let their long, thin arms drag as the long, sideways mouth stretching from their lower torso to the center of their flesh-coated bone chests slowly let in breaths. Their faces consisting entirely of large, fanged rows of teeth forming bestial mouths, the abominations' only eyes were in the center of their three-fingered hands.

Basking in the horrid beauty of the hellish world, Gancanagh opened his arms as a woman, terrible in her dark beauty, descended upon him. Beside the woman, a dark entity once graced in light gently flapped its massive, black wings that were reminiscent of paintings of great angels. "Mother!" the demon cried out, tears flowing from its eyes. "Father! At long last!" His human skin melting, the monster's oily, black form became clear: Its face void of eyes, covered down to his nose with a molded gold mask with no features, fangs extruding from its mouth, golden claws shining in the anti-light, and thin, black, bat-like wings flaring out.

"No," Max whispered, his eyes gushing with tears as he begged to be something apart from all the evil. "No."

"I'm so sorry," Juliet sobbingly prayed, digging her claws into the stone. "I'm so sorry."

Justin remained silent, his anger too great for him to speak. It all had to be a lie. It couldn't be real.

Clenching her fist, Alexandria forced herself onto her feet, her blind eyes trying to find her wand. All the fires of hell burning against her flesh, the young wizard winced in agony, feeling her own pain as well as her dark side's. _We're more than this, _she told herself, searching through her heart and memories. _Magic is a gift…a miracle. We were never meant for this. God gave us these blessings to do great things. Our ancestors sealed away the demons…"_ Young and happy, Alex Russo held her crying baby brother as he was slowly lulled to sleep. Alex Russo taught Harper how to draw as they each taught the other how to love themselves. Alex Russo made mistakes, did silly things, made her parents proud, used magic as a gift for all of existence, and lived every day as a new day. It wasn't Alex Russo that threw herself away, but it would be Alex Russo who set everything right. Clenching her eyes, Alexandria felt her true soul-self reaching out and touching her evil side through the darkness. Through the light of her spiritual side, the young wizard reached her wand and focused her mana into a single, perfect blast, shattering the glass dome of the machine and disrupting the anti-light.

"No!" Gancanagh screamed, feeling the presence of his kin fading from him. "No! Never again! Mother, Father, no! Never again! I won't be alone again! No!" Violently clawing at the air, the demon watched as Lilith and Samael vanished along with the flames of their hellish plane of existence. Within seconds, the stars returned and the clouds broke to reveal the golden, orange, and red lights and hues of a flawless sunset: a dusk forming the promise of a new tomorrow to come. All was silent.

Rising once more, the wizards found themselves. Justin, Max, and Juliet stood together, with Alexandria in front of them. Astonished, the evil Alex slowed her movements. Desperately grasping at nothingness, Gancanagh clenched his fists, turning towards those he declared beneath himself. As the wind graced their backs, blowing their hair, the enchanted ones remained staunch and brave.

"Blasphemers!" the demon shouted, spreading his claws. Its body weakened and the darkness broken, the monster felt mortal blood fill his veins. "I was to rule all there was! I alone was worthy! My bloodline was pure, and my mother and father were to become mother and father to all! You will never find forgiveness in this…" Her hands clenching both sides of Gancanagh's frail neck, the wicked Alex twisted her grip, breaking the demon's neck and causing it to fall to the ground.

Gazing in horror, Juliet and the Russo family kept the evil reflection in their sights. "He made alot of mistakes," she declared, plunging her corrupted wand into the demon's still body and lacing her gem with his blood. "But the worst…was relying on anyone but himself. He wasn't strong enough to rule, but I am. Can you feel me, little girl? You can't, can you? You're not inside of me anymore…dragging me down and making me weak."

Walking forward, brushing off Justin's light grasp, Alexandria made her way across the stone floor towards the machine and her dark side. "You're just like him," she declared, glancing down at the lifeless body draped across the ground. "You've tried so hard to let the darkness consume you…But you were right when you said I abandoned you." Everything stood still. "I was afraid. I was angry at myself and the world…And I let that fear and anger guide me. I cut you out. I was trying to make everyone else happy…I did a horrible thing to you…to me. And I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry…but I won't live in shame for the rest of my life." Clenching her wand, Alexandria stared into her reflection's eyes. "Isn't this what you wanted? To take back what I stole from you?"

"It's all I _ever_ wanted," the evil Alex snarled, charging at her betrayer. Thrusting her wand outward, Alexandria heard her dark side's corrupted gem hit the stone floor and shatter. "…No." Her breaths trembling, the evil girl began slashing at Alex, each lash of her hands pushing her further and further into a fit of tearful sorrow. "No! No! No! No!" Catching the poor, hurt little girl's hands, Alexandria watched her dark side openly sob and drop to her knees.

"I'm so sorry," the young wizard whispered, wrapping her arms around her weak, suffering self: Taking away her pain. Biting her lip and closing her tear-soaked eyes, the evil Alex leaned into her other half's loving embrace. _I forgive you._ Then, the darkness burned up in the light, and the innocence and struggles became rose petals that gracefully faded into Alex's restored body. Opening her eyes to the world once more, letting out a heavy sigh of relief, Alex Russo looked into the sunset.

Justin, Max, and Juliet ran towards their beloved friend and sister, feeling peace returning at long last. Hissing and roaring in rage and agony, Gancanagh's twisted, broken neck cracked and contorted back into place as the demon spread its wings. Roaring with all its hateful might, Gancanagh watched the enchanted ones stand in defiance of him one more time. Suddenly, Alex's sapphire stone pierced the chest of the abomination, taking the dark life from its eyes and finally ending its reign of terror. Standing bold and accepting of her actions, Alex gazed at her family as the monster collapsed, never to rise again.

"Welcome back," Justin declared, seeing that his sister once again saw through the fog to do what was truly right.

"I'm not done yet," Alex replied. "There's one last thing I have to fix." Creating a barrier between herself and her loved ones, the Latina took in a deep breath and swallowed hard. "The machine's still active…it won't stop until it's destroyed. And I'm the only one who could start it or stop it." All the power within the machine was raging, threatening all who lived: stopping it would be costly. "…I love all of you. Max, never outgrow your true self. And don't forget who you really are, Justin. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, and I understand now. Juliet, thank you for everything. You are my sister. Tell Harper I love her, and that she's always been a part of me…Goodbye."

"Alex, no!" Justin screamed, smashing his fists against the wall.

"Please!" Max begged, unable to keep himself from crying.

"Alex, no, please!" Juliet cried out. "Let me go. I'll take the pain from you, please! Please, don't go alone!"

"Alex! Alex!" Jerry screamed, running towards his daughter while struggling to see past his own tears.

"Mi-hija!" Theresa tearfully yelled out. "Baby, please!"

"Alex!" Harper begged, blinded by fear and pain. "Alex, I love you, please don't end it like this. Don't leave us."

Setting her hand upon the glass, Alex looked back at all her loved ones, seeing Mason and Stevie somewhere among them, and smiled. "I'll always love you," she promised. "And I'll never leave you." Turning to the machine, the young wizard remembered the answer, and felt the glass shatter and burst into the air, releasing all the souls and power stolen from the innocents. No more lives were taken. A massive surge of energy erupted, tearing through the skies with the force of a dying sun. For what felt like eternity, a blinding light filled all that there was. Then, the light faded, and silence fell upon the earth.

The barrier gone, the Russo family, Juliet, and Harper ran with all their might towards the still body of their beloved. By the time they reached her, the body was already cold. Theresa gently lifted her daughter's head onto her lap one last time, slowly stroking her hair and crying. Blood streamed from Alex's closed eyes before ceasing completely. "Alex," Theresa choked out between sobs, her eyes unable to open through the tears. Covering her mouth with her hand, Harper lost all composure and dropped her head into Juliet's embrace. Together, the two mourned as sisters over their great loss. "Alex, my angel, my baby…You did it." Max and Justin looked to one another and cried before openly embracing their brother. Taking his daughter's limp hand, Jerry pressed his forehead to Alex's fingers, his face red and tightening as his tears and gasps grew stronger. "You saved us, Alex…_You_ saved us."

"I'm sorry," little Alex Russo said, hugging her mother and father.

"I stay awake at night, wondering what this family would be like without me," Alex jokingly declared in a deadpan tone, kicking her feet up on the coffee table and once again succeeding at making her entire family laugh uncontrollably.

"Justin, out of all the people I know, you are in the most desperate need of a life…" a teenage Alex Russo playfully listed. "And some of those Nepenthe pills you keep talking about." The two laughed and hugged each other.

"Are you ready?" a young adult Alex Russo asked her little brother. Max nodded, and the two began creating streams of color above Theresa's flower garden with their wands.

"You're the most fantastic person I know, Harper," Alex Russo whispered to her sobbing best friend, taking her hands. "Don't ever forget that."

Juliet and Alex walked home together, having promised to remain friends even if the vampiress and Justin broke up.

The extended family cried over the young woman's body, remembering all the joy she brought them, and the light she always kept inside. "You'll always be in our hearts, Alex," Theresa whispered, kissing her daughter on her ash-stained forehead. Silence fell upon the world.

_Everybody's watching._

_Everybody, cry._

_Stay. Don't leave me._

_The stars can wait for your sign._

Their prayers uniting, the mourners tried to guide their loved one's soul towards the heavens, never truly wanting her to go.

Her eyes twitching, Alex slowly parted her eye lids, her view of her loved ones slowly coming into focus through the stale tears. Gasping with a joy that warmed over their pounding hearts, Theresa, Jerry, Justin, Max, Harper, and Juliet thanked their Lord from the center of their very souls. "…Hey, guys," Alex groaned, the life returning to her face. The blood had faded: the guilt had faded, and Alex Russo had returned. "You didn't think I'd go that quietly, did you?" The entire group smiled and let out a touched sigh of happiness.

Pulling Justin close to her body, Juliet kissed her lover's soft lips, their eyes closing with their renewed sense of life blooming. Max hugged Alex tightly, promising to never let her go. Theresa and Jerry held their daughter close to their hearts until Harper lovingly slapped her and hugged her. Alex closed her eyes and smiled, breathing out a sigh of solace as everything became clear once more, and her loved ones were safe and near.

_Never The End_

_Soundtrack_

_The Requiem: Lacrymosa by Mozart performed by KPM Philharmonic Orchestra_

_Cold by Crossfade_

_Haunted by Disturbed_

_End of All Hope by Nighcore_

_Tris and I Am Divergent by Junkie XL_

_O Fortuna by Carmina Burana_

_The Last Man by Clint Mansell_

_Goodnight, Travel Well by the Killers_


	9. Epilogue

Wizards Aeterna

The Battle for Everything

Chapter Nine: Epilogue

_I will give thanks to You, o Lord,_

_For though You were angry with me,_

_Your anger turned away, and You comforted me._

_I will trust…_

_And will not be afraid._

_We've taken many great losses. Our secret is now known to the whole world, casualties around the world ranged in the thousands, our home was nearly destroyed, our faith was shaken, our belief in ourselves nearly crumbled, Justin's world was forever changed, and I'm still learning to forgive the horrors my dark side committed. The machine was destroyed, sending all the demons and nightmares back where they came from. Gancanagh's remains, after the explosion, were locked away and turned into a black hole by The Elders. The world is rebuilding, for the first time, with its people united. All who survived the assault began to work together to repair the damage, give proper burials to the innocent, and make amends with their family and friends. The wizards soon came to forgive themselves, accepting that there was nothing they could do. Though many went into exile, those blessed with magic reintegrated into society, whether they had blinded or deafened themselves or not. After so many years of hiding, the truth came out to the world, and through that truth, we were all able to make amends. Our fears of hatred and persecution went unrealized._

_ After coaxing from The Elders, my family and I stepped forward, allowing the world to see us, as well as our friends for what we truly are: humans. Alliances formed over time; slowly, but with hope. Without the prejudice of those around them, young wizards began to reveal themselves to the world, and magic filled the air and the night's sky. All of humanity and nature came to know the blessing of magic as well as our true nature. The Elders, for the first time in recorded history, entered reality and restored The Lair and our portal. The Council then welcomed Justin as one of their own, having seen his abilities and faith grow through his struggles. Justin turned them down to remain home with Juliet and our family. I, on the other hand, was given a great blessing and curse: I was going to help integrate the enchanted ones with the rest of the world. The Elders said I was the chosen one for the assignment. My parents, Max, and Harper promised to do whatever they could to help me._

_ Reports went out that the statue that was once Stevie Nichols had vanished during the attack. No one knows what happened or what became of the stone. I like to think she came back into the world and lived the rest of her life in peace. Harper and I stayed the best of friends. She helped me when I struggled the most, and our bond stayed strong. _

_ With the demons gone, the world felt safe once more. As for me, I always held onto that old photograph, letting it serve as a reminder to how good people really were. I learned to forgive myself, which made all the difference in the world to me. As of now, we stand on the brink of a new world: A new life. A brave new beginning in the world we knew. We never forgot the past, but we all tried to keep our eyes on the present, so that one day, we'll have a better future from what we built._

_ My name is Alex Russo, and this is not the end._ Closing her diary, Alex left her room and joined her extended family on the terrace. Standing side by side, Theresa, Jerry, Max, Juliet, Justin, Alex, and Harper watched cascading rainbows of fireworks burst into the night's sky. Holding Dragon in his arms, Max smiled at his big sister. Together, the extended Russo family watched as a new era was born through their actions and those of their allies.


End file.
